Foveaux Strait swims

The Foveaux Strait lies between the South Island and Stewart Island (Rakiura), in the far south of New Zealand. The strait is 28.6 km wide at its narrowest, and is subject to unstable weather and strong surface currents.

John van Leeuwen completed the first crossing of the Foveaux Strait in 1963. Meda McKenzie was the first woman in 1979. The swim is part of the New Zealand Triple Crown and the MSF Toughest Thirteen.

Foveaux Strait route
Route Swims First Fastest
South Island to Stewart Island 7 John van Leeuwen - 1963 Todd Utteridge - 08:40:00 (1989)
Stewart Island to South Island 8 Chloe Harris - 2016 Liana Smith - 06:19:00 (2022)
Date Name Gender Age Nation Route Km Time
1963 Feb 7 John van Leeuwen Male South Island to Stewart Island 28.6 13:36:00
1979 Mar 20 Meda McKenzie Female 15-16 South Island to Stewart Island 28.6 14:00:00
1984 Mar 24 Belinda Shields Female 22 South Island to Stewart Island 28.6 09:53:00
1985 Feb 13 Michael Quinlivan Male 23-24 South Island to Stewart Island 28.6 09:41:00
1988 Feb 11 Sandra Blewett Female 37-38 South Island to Stewart Island 28.6 12:05:00
1989 Feb 15 Todd Utteridge Male South Island to Stewart Island 28.6 08:40:00
2016 Feb 1 Chloe Harris Female 22-23 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 08:30:00
2017 Feb 19 Simon Olliver Male 52 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 08:53:00
2021 Feb 17 Caitlin O'Reilly Female 16 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 10:21:45
2021 Feb 22 Jonathan Ridler Male 31 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 07:52:14
2022 Feb 10 Liana Smith Female 24-25 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 06:19:00
2022 Feb 10 Camille Gulick Female 33-34 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 06:57:05
2022 Mar 14 Susan Sherwen Female 60-61 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 11:59:00
2022 Mar 14 Grainne Moss Gunn Female 52 Stewart Island to South Island 28.6 12:27:00
2023 Apr 1 Corrina Connor Female 40 South Island to Stewart Island 28.6 09:21:31

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