Cook Strait - Swimming

Swimming

According to oral tradition, the first woman to swim Cook Strait was Hine Poupou. She swam from Kapiti Island to Dürville Island with the help of a dolphin. Other Māori accounts tell of at least one swimmer who conquered the strait in 1831.

In modern times, the strait was first swum by Barrie Devenport, in 1962. Lynne Cox was the first woman to swim it, in 1975. The most prolific swimmer of the strait is Philip Rush, who has crossed eight times, including two double crossings. Aditya Raut was the youngest swimmer at 11 years. Stephanie Bennington was the youngest female swimmer at 13 years. Pam Dickson was the oldest swimmer at 55 years. By 2010, 74 single crossings had been made by 65 individuals, and three double crossings had been made by two individuals (Philip Rush and Meda McKenzie). Crossing times are largely determined by the strong and sometimes unpredictable currents that operate in the strait. On 10 October 2011, a disabled Italian distance swimmer, Salvatore Cimmino, was the first amputee to swim Cook Strait. The 47-year-old, who had his right leg amputated, entered the water at Makara at 8.47am and made land at Perano Head at 5.05pm.