Strait of Juan de Fuca swims
The Strait of Juan de Fuca separates Vancouver Island, Canada from Washington, USA. Strait of Juan de Fuca swims are sanctioned by the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association, the only marathon swimming association in the region that meets a high standard of rigor, including the provision of trained, independent observers and independent ratification.
Two distinct routes have been established by the nine swimmers to have completed recognized, independently observed Juan de Fuca crossings:
- Swims with a start or finish in Victoria, BC - typically to (or from) the Port Angeles, Washington area, the closest part of the U.S. This route is a minimum 29.4 km, measured as the straight line between Ediz Hook (Port Angeles) and Clover Point (Victoria).
- Swims attempting to cross the narrowest part of the strait - between the Port Crescent / Lower Elwha area of Washington, and the East Sooke / Becher Bay area of Vancouver Island. This route is a minimum of 16.8 km, measured as the straight line between Tongue Point (Washington) and Beechey Head (Vancouver Island).
Bert Thomas, Cliff Lumsdon, Marilyn Bell, and Vicki Keith completed the longer Victoria route. Their specific start/finish points were:
- Thomas: Ediz Hook, WA to Saxe Point, Victoria, BC
- Lumsdon: Horseshoe Bay, Victoria, BC to Green Point, WA (east of Port Angeles)
- Bell: Ediz Hook, WA to Clover Point, Victoria, BC
- Keith: Ediz Hook, WA to Cook Street (west of Clover Point), Victoria, BC
Ben Laughren and Amy Hiland started their swims at Ediz Hook with the intention of finishing in Victoria. However, they both finished short and southwest of Victoria, with Laughren landing at Church Point (22 km) and Hiland landing at William Head (23 km). Since these swims did not reach Victoria, and are not otherwise established routes, they are listed as completing the general/minimum route between Washington and Vancouver Island (see below).
In 2015, Andrew Malinak established the East Sooke / Port Crescent route (minimum 16.8 km), west of the Port Angeles-Victoria route. This route was subsequently used by Melissa Blaustein (2017) and Kimberly Rutherford (2019). Since this is the narrowest part of the strait, it is a general / minimum route between Washington State and Vancouver Island.
| Route | Swims | First | Fastest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, USA to Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | 4 | Ben Laughren - 1956 | Melissa Blaustein - 07:45:00 (2017) |
| Vancouver Island, BC, Canada to Washington, USA | 2 | Andrew Malinak - 2015 | Andrew Packer - 06:48:15 (2023) |
| Port Angeles WA to Victoria BC | 3 | Bert Thomas - 1955 | Marilyn Bell - 10:38:00 (1956) |
| Victoria BC to Port Angeles WA | 1 | Cliff Lumsdon - 1956 | Cliff Lumsdon - 11:35:00 (1956) |
| Date | Name | Gender | Age | Nation | Route | Km | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 Jul 8 | Bert Thomas |  |
29 | Port Angeles WA to Victoria BC | 29.4 | 11:22:00 | |
| 1956 Aug 17 | Cliff Lumsdon | |
25 | Victoria BC to Port Angeles WA | 29.4 | 11:35:00 | |
| 1956 Aug 18 | Ben Laughren | |
Washington, USA to Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | 16.8 | 10:17:00 | ||
| 1956 Aug 18 | Amy Hiland |  |
Washington, USA to Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | 16.8 | 10:51:00 | ||
| 1956 Aug 23 | Marilyn Bell | |
18 | Port Angeles WA to Victoria BC | 29.4 | 10:38:00 | |
| 1989 Aug 10 | Vicki Keith | |
28 | Port Angeles WA to Victoria BC | 29.4 | 14:01:00 | |
| 2015 Sep 6 | Andrew Malinak | |
29 | Vancouver Island, BC, Canada to Washington, USA | 16.8 | 06:59:00 | |
| 2017 Sep 16 | Melissa Blaustein | |
29-30 | Washington, USA to Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | 16.8 | 07:45:00 | |
| 2019 Aug 16 | Kimberly Rutherford | |
59 | Washington, USA to Vancouver Island, BC, Canada | 16.8 | 10:22:00 | |
| 2023 Aug 25 | Andrew Packer | |
28 | Vancouver Island, BC, Canada to Washington, USA | 16.8 | 06:48:15 |