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.
| Route | Swims | First | Fastest |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Island to Stewart Island | 6 | John van Leeuwen - 1963 | Todd Utteridge - 08:40:00 (1989) |
| Stewart Island to South Island | 4 | Chloe Harris - 2016 | Jonathan Ridler - 07:52:14 (2021) |
| Date | Name | Gender | Age | Nation | Route | Km | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 Feb 7 | John van Leeuwen |  |
South Island to Stewart Island | 28.6 | 13:36:00 | ||
| 1979 Mar 20 | Meda McKenzie |  |
15-16 | South Island to Stewart Island | 28.6 | 14:00:00 | |
| 1984 Mar 24 | Belinda Shields | |
22 | South Island to Stewart Island | 28.6 | 09:53:00 | |
| 1985 Feb 13 | Michael Quinlivan | |
23-24 | South Island to Stewart Island | 28.6 | 09:41:00 | |
| 1988 Feb 11 | Sandra Blewett | |
37-38 | South Island to Stewart Island | 28.6 | 12:05:00 | |
| 1989 Feb 15 | Todd Utteridge | |
South Island to Stewart Island | 28.6 | 08:40:00 | ||
| 2016 Feb 1 | Chloe Harris | |
22-23 | Stewart Island to South Island | 28.6 | 08:30:00 | |
| 2017 Feb 19 | Simon Olliver | |
52 | Stewart Island to South Island | 28.6 | 08:53:00 | |
| 2021 Feb 17 | Caitlin O'Reilly | |
16 | Stewart Island to South Island | 28.6 | 10:21:45 | |
| 2021 Feb 22 | Jonathan Ridler | |
31 | Stewart Island to South Island | 28.6 | 07:52:14 |