Cook Strait swims

The Cook Strait lies between the North Island and South Island of New Zealand, connecting the Tasman Sea with the South Pacific Ocean. The strait is 22 km across at its narrowest point (between Cape Terawhiti and Arapawa Island), but “swims” a bit longer due to cross-currents.

Barrie Devenport completed the first Cook Strait swim in 1962, although there are Māori legends of earlier swims. Lynne Cox was the first woman, in a 1975 swim recounted in her memoir Swimming to Antarctica.

Cook Strait swims can be organized through either the New Zealand Marathon Swimming Federation (NZMSF) or the New Zealand Open Water Swimming Association (NZOWSA). The swim is part of the Oceans Seven and the New Zealand Triple Crown.

Cook Strait route
Route Swims First Fastest
North Island to South Island 85 Barrie Devenport - 1962 Casey Glover - 04:37:00 (2008)
South Island to North Island 53 Perry Cameron - 1972 Andrew Donaldson - 04:33:50 (2023)
North Island to South Island to North Island 2 Philip Rush - 1984 Philip Rush - 16:16:00 (1984)
South Island to North Island to South Island 1 Philip Rush - 1988 Philip Rush - 18:37:00 (1988)
Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 14 Samuel Muir-James - 2019 Nathalie Pohl - 06:33:00 (2023)

View organizer data

Date Name Gender Age Nation Route Km Time
1962 Nov 20 Barrie Devenport Male 27 North Island to South Island 23 11:20:00
1964 Feb 7 Keith Hancox Male 25 North Island to South Island 23 09:34:00
1972 Jan 12 Perry Cameron Male 30 South Island to North Island 23 09:36:00
1975 Feb 4 Lynne Cox Female 18 North Island to South Island 23 12:02:30
1977 Feb 13 John Coutts Male 19-20 North Island to South Island 23 09:25:00
1978 Feb 3 Meda McKenzie Female 14-15 North Island to South Island 23 12:07:00
1978 Feb 17 Meda McKenzie Female 14-15 South Island to North Island 23 11:23:00
1978 Feb 18 John Coutts Male 21 South Island to North Island 23 06:46:00
1978 Dec 24 Chris Hurdley Male 30 North Island to South Island 23 09:04:00
1978 Dec 24 Alan Christie Male 28 North Island to South Island 23 09:05:00
1979 Feb 24 Pat Benson Male 22 North Island to South Island 23 10:18:00
1980 Feb 24 Philip Rush Male 16 North Island to South Island 23 08:56:00
1980 Feb 24 Mohamed El Messery Male 21 North Island to South Island 23 09:12:00
1980 Mar 10 Rhonda Smidt Female 17 South Island to North Island 23 08:56:00
1980 Mar 24 Belinda Shields Female 18 South Island to North Island 23 08:32:00
1980 Apr 8 Carolyn Wordsworth Female 17 South Island to North Island 23 07:15:00
1981 Feb 1 John Koorey Male 36-37 South Island to North Island 23 05:37:00
1981 Feb 14 Kristine Carr Female 21 South Island to North Island 23 07:54:00
1981 Feb 28 Michael Quinlivan Male 20 North Island to South Island 23 07:58:00
1981 Mar 14 Elizabeth Horner Female 14-15 South Island to North Island 23 07:22:00
1981 Mar 30 Alan Vincent Male 31 North Island to South Island 23 08:21:00
1981 May 10 Elizabeth Horner Female 15 North Island to South Island 23 11:33:00
1982 Jan 17 Sheryl McLay Female 21 South Island to North Island 23 06:59:00
1982 Feb 14 Karen Bisley Female 15-16 South Island to North Island 23 06:46:00
1982 Feb 21 Wayne Jack Male 14 North Island to South Island 23 10:02:00
1984 Mar 13 Philip Rush Male 20 North Island to South Island to North Island 46 16:16:00
1984 Mar 26 Sandra Blewett Female 34 North Island to South Island 23 13:30:00
1984 Mar 26 Meda McKenzie Female 21 North Island to South Island to North Island 46 23:06:00
1985 Mar 29 Scott Barry Male 18 South Island to North Island 23 07:51:00
1985 Mar 29 Karen Bisley Female 19 North Island to South Island 23 11:11:00
1985 May 1 Donna Bouzaid Female 22 North Island to South Island 23 08:15:00
1986 Jan 20 Denise Anderson Female 21 South Island to North Island 23 05:04:00
1986 Feb 18 John Koorey Male 42 North Island to South Island 23 06:59:00
1986 Mar 30 Helen Barrett Female 16 South Island to North Island 23 06:34:00
1987 Feb 25 Ingrid Greenslade Female 15 North Island to South Island 23 07:18:00
1987 Mar 23 Jeffrey Reid Male 14 South Island to North Island 23 07:10:00
1987 Mar 23 Philip Rush Male 23 South Island to North Island 23 08:27:00
1988 Feb 9 Philip Rush Male 24 South Island to North Island to South Island 46 18:37:00
1988 Feb 12 Richard Davey Male South Island to North Island 23 07:17:00
1989 Feb 18 Karena Doig Female 15 South Island to North Island 23 08:31:00
1994 Feb 5 Myra Willianson Female 19 North Island to South Island 23 08:01:00
1996 Mar 25 Taranath Narayan Shenoy Male 36 South Island to North Island 23 07:46:00
1996 Mar 26 Jo Kane Female 40 North Island to South Island 23 10:52:00
1998 Mar 9 Romdas Rupali Female 16 South Island to North Island 23 19:44:00
1999 Feb 8 Thomas Pearson Male 42 South Island to North Island 23 06:50:00
1999 Mar 10 Tammy Van Wisse Female 30 North Island to South Island 23 06:49:00
2001 Mar 6 Grainne Moss Gunn Female 31 North Island to South Island 23 12:25:00
2001 Mar 16 Kate Johns Female 14 North Island to South Island 23 07:06:00
2001 Mar 17 Yvonne Merrill Female 39 North Island to South Island 23 11:05:00
2003 Mar 25 Bula Chowdhury Chakraborty Female 33 North Island to South Island 23 09:04:00
2003 Apr 11 Jeremy Gray Male 21 North Island to South Island 23 07:25:00
2004 Jan 16 David Yudovin Male 52 North Island to South Island 23 09:38:00
2004 Mar 5 James Pittar Male 34 South Island to North Island 23 08:31:00
2004 Mar 15 Chris Hains Male South Island to North Island 23 07:24:00
2004 Mar 25 John Gatfield Male 13 South Island to North Island 23 08:08:00
2005 Feb 20 Aditya Santosh Raut Male 11 North Island to South Island 23 09:09:00
2005 Mar 4 Cara Sibtsen Female 17 South Island to North Island 23 05:48:00
2005 Mar 4 Tania Hockings Female 17 South Island to North Island 23 05:48:00
2006 Feb 10 Robert Binney Male 43 North Island to South Island 23 07:11:00
2006 Apr 5 Penny Palfrey Female 43 South Island to North Island 23 08:26:00
2007 Feb 8 T. Scott Coleman Male 52 North Island to South Island 23 10:27:32
2007 Feb 25 Jei Zhang Female 19 South Island to North Island 23 08:03:00
2007 Mar 10 Daniel Kennedy Male 45 South Island to North Island 23 11:00:00
2007 Apr 9 Hana Wolzak Female 46 South Island to North Island 23 08:44:00
2007 Apr 22 Stephanie Bennington Female 13 North Island to South Island 23 08:10:35
2008 Jan 31 Forrest Nelson Male 42 North Island to South Island 23 11:56:00
2008 Apr 13 Casey Glover Male 21 North Island to South Island 23 04:37:00
2008 Apr 14 Susan Freeland Female 43 North Island to South Island 23 11:09:00
2009 Feb 18 Andrew Rowan Male 30 North Island to South Island 23 07:29:08
2009 Mar 20 Pam Dickson Female 55 North Island to South Island 23 09:23:10
2009 Apr 3 Peter Cook Male 39 North Island to South Island 23 08:52:35
2010 Mar 8 Michelle Macy Female 32 North Island to South Island 23 08:02:00
2010 Mar 8 Stephen Junk Male 49 North Island to South Island 23 08:08:00
2010 Mar 9 Emily Morris Female 27 North Island to South Island 23 09:58:00
2011 Feb 24 Andrea O'Fee Female 23 North Island to South Island 23 07:08:00
2011 Feb 28 Christian Jongeneel Male 36 North Island to South Island 23 08:49:00
2011 Apr 12 Emma Aitken Female 23 North Island to South Island 23 09:31:00
2012 Jan 17 Tom Hecker Male 60 South Island to North Island 23 10:36:00
2012 Feb 17 Stephen Redmond Male 46 South Island to North Island 23 12:19:00
2012 Mar 5 Kimberley Chambers Female 34 South Island to North Island 23 08:26:00
2013 Feb 18 Jason Coombe Male 42 North Island to South Island 23 10:32:00
2013 Feb 19 Mark Krynen Male 53 North Island to South Island 23 12:32:00
2013 Mar 21 Darren Miller Male 29 North Island to South Island 23 10:42:00
2013 Mar 21 Craig Lenning Male 33 North Island to South Island 23 10:52:00
2013 Mar 22 Daniel Abel Male 37 South Island to North Island 23 06:15:00
2013 Apr 8 Anna-Carin Nordin Female 42 South Island to North Island 23 08:18:00
2013 Dec 10 Phillipa Wrenn Female 26 South Island to North Island 23 08:42:00
2014 Mar 11 Simon Olliver Male 49 North Island to South Island 23 08:36:00
2014 Apr 22 Adam Walker Male 35 North Island to South Island 23 08:36:00
2014 Dec 16 Anna Plunkett Female 17 North Island to South Island 23 07:43:45
2015 Mar 3 Toshio Ogawa Male 60 South Island to North Island 23 11:51:59
2016 Feb 3 Patti Bauernfeind Female 49 South Island to North Island 23 08:09:28
2016 Mar 18 Marilyn Korzekwa Female 58 South Island to North Island 23 11:34:08
2016 Apr 16 Tim Robinson Male 41 North Island to South Island 23 09:42:22
2017 Jan 23 Steven Kennedy Male 26 North Island to South Island 23 08:45:32
2017 Jan 23 Zoltan Boros Male 38 North Island to South Island 23 08:45:32
2017 Feb 19 Marty Filipowski Male 53 North Island to South Island 23 09:06:14
2017 Feb 20 Kevin Cassidy Male 56-57 South Island to North Island 23 09:07:34
2017 Feb 24 Caitlin O'Reilly Female 12 North Island to South Island 23 07:19:56
2017 Mar 10 Jim Barber Male 57 North Island to South Island 23 06:27:41
2017 Mar 19 Antonio Argüelles Male 57 North Island to South Island 23 11:22:17
2017 Mar 23 Chloe Harris Female 24 North Island to South Island 23 07:17:24
2017 Apr 22 Attila Mányoki Male 43 South Island to North Island 23 06:57:49
2018 Jan 27 Ion Lazarenco Tiron Male 40 North Island to South Island 23 11:06:59
2018 Feb 8 Paul Feltoe Male 43-44 North Island to South Island 23 09:04:11
2018 Feb 9 Rohan More Male 32 North Island to South Island 23 08:37:54
2018 Feb 9 Julie Isbill Female 43-44 North Island to South Island 23 08:43:10
2018 Feb 11 Royce Evans Male 32 South Island to North Island 23 06:13:48
2018 Feb 24 Anthony McCarley Male 58 South Island to North Island 23 11:23:00
2018 Feb 24 Abhejali Bernardová Female 41 North Island to South Island 23 13:09:48
2018 Mar 11 Steve Walker Male 50 South Island to North Island 23 12:17:00
2018 Mar 11 Cameron Bellamy Male 35 South Island to North Island 23 12:44:00
2018 Nov 14 Lynton Mortensen Male 54 North Island to South Island 23 14:14:37
2018 Dec 1 Breanna Ward Female 21 North Island to South Island 23 07:26:10
2018 Dec 14 Thomas Pembroke Male 29 North Island to South Island 23 06:57:34
2019 Jan 29 Kieron Palframan Male 44 North Island to South Island 23 08:13:02
2019 Feb 15 Jonathan Ridler Male 29 North Island to South Island 23 06:22:01
2019 Mar 3 Samuel Muir-James Male 33 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 09:14:00
2019 Mar 15 Sarah Thomas Female 36 North Island to South Island 23 14:09:11
2019 Mar 30 Elizabeth Fry Female 60 North Island to South Island 23 09:32:01
2019 Mar 30 Nora Toledano Cadena Female 49 North Island to South Island 23 09:32:22
2019 Mar 30 Mariel Hawley Dávila Female 51 North Island to South Island 23 11:44:21
2019 May 2 André Wiersig Male 46 South Island to North Island 23 08:32:53
2019 Dec 10 Jonathan Ratcliffe Male 46 North Island to South Island 23 11:15:27
2019 Dec 10 Dean Summers Male 60 North Island to South Island 23 13:25:00
2020 Jan 20 Jorge Crivilles Villanueva Male 48 North Island to South Island 23 09:03:44
2020 Feb 29 Adrian Sarchet Male 45 North Island to South Island 23 10:45:48
2020 Nov 24 Brett Richardson Male 54 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 10:20:32
2021 Mar 23 Sarah Poplar Female 45 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 09:45:36
2021 Mar 23 Raewyn Winsley 51 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 10:18:33
2021 Mar 25 Rebecca Hollingsworth Female 32 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 11:39:45
2021 Apr 4 Susan Sherwen Female 60 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 09:56:37
2021 Apr 6 Fraser Dunbar Male 50 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 09:46:03
2021 May 20 Liana Smith Female 24 North Island to South Island 23 06:59:24
2021 Dec 13 Corrina Connor Female 39 North Island to South Island 23 09:15:04
2022 Feb 15 Nicholas Shanks Male South Island to North Island 23 09:59:39
2022 Feb 25 Nick Hobson Male 40-41 North Island to South Island 23 10:36:00
2022 Mar 10 Eliza Cummings Female 26-27 North Island to South Island 23 07:15:26
2022 Mar 10 Omar Vaquero Martinez Male North Island to South Island 23 07:54:00
2022 Dec 15 Zach Margolis Male 33 North Island to South Island 23 07:06:00
2022 Dec 15 Mark Lenaarts Male 49 North Island to South Island 23 07:14:58
2023 Jan 30 John Hancock Male North Island to South Island 23 09:17:45
2023 Jan 31 Alessandra Rossi Cima Female 48 South Island to North Island 23 10:58:02
2023 Feb 18 Joe Zemaitis Male 42 South Island to North Island 23 09:01:39
2023 Feb 18 John Zemaitis Male 39 South Island to North Island 23 09:01:39
2023 Mar 1 Nathalie Pohl Female 28 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 06:33:00
2023 Mar 1 Callum Eade Male South Island to North Island 23 06:41:05
2023 Mar 1 Bárbara Hernández Huerta Female 37 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 08:16:00
2023 Mar 1 Prabhat Koli Male 23 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 08:41:05
2023 Mar 7 Andrew Donaldson Male 32 South Island to North Island 23 04:33:50
2023 Mar 14 Herman van der Westhuizen Male 56 South Island to North Island 23 08:27:14
2023 Mar 14 Dina Levačić Female 27 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 11:01:43
2023 Mar 14 Marcia Cleveland Female 58 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 11:54:01
2023 Apr 16 Glyn Eason Male Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 07:15:07
2023 Apr 16 Loren King Male 54-55 Cook Strait (dir. unknown) 23 07:33:37

Reviews

Reviewer: Chloe Harris (August 2023)
Swam in 2017 (Finished)
Overall Experience: ★️★️★️★️★️

Pilot: Philip Rush
Fees: NA
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Piloting Skill: ★️★️★️★️★️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "Philips ability to read a swimmer is second to none. I felt safe in varied conditions across the day. In the toughest parts of the day, Philips coaching expertise and experience in the strait made the difference between a successful and unsuccessful attempt."

General Comments: "Having done a few marathon swims i can say hands down this was my favourite swim."

Reviewer: Marcia Cleveland (August 2023)
Swam in 2023 (Finished)
Overall Experience: ★️★️★️★️★️

Pilot: Donald Dring
Fees: USD~$5000
Communication ★️★️★️★️★️
Piloting Skill: ★️★️★️★️★️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "Superb in all ways leading to my successful swim. A full summary of this swim is available in the Stories sections of DoverSolo.com"

Association: New Zealand Marathon Swimming Federation
Fees: ~USD$200?
Communication ★️★️✩️✩️✩️
Advice & Support: ★️★️★️✩️✩️
Value: ★️★️★️✩️✩️
Comments: "Phil Rush needs to have someone else handle communication. He can not and does not do a good job with it, based on all that is going on in his life."

General Comments: "This was one of my favorite swims ever. Despite a day of challenging water conditions, my crew was exceptional in all ways. There was a concerted effort in getting me to completing. I always felt safe and secure, despite what Mother Nature was doing to the sea that day."

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