Tsugaru Strait swims

The Tsugaru Strait separates the Japanese islands of Honshu (south) and Hokkaido (north), and connects the Sea of Japan (west) to the Pacific Ocean (east). The strait is 19.5 km wide between the western peninsulas of Cape Tappi and Cape Shirakami, and 18.8 km wide between the eastern peninsulas of Cape Ōma and Cape Shiokubi.

Due to west-to-east cross-currents which change velocity but not direction with the tides, it is very difficult to swim the shortest line across the strait. Most swims begin at Cape Kodomari on the western peninsula on Honshu, which adds about 10 km to the distance but provides more leeway to make land on Hokkaido.

The swim was pioneered by David Yudovin in 1990, and is one of the Oceans Seven. There is currently no recognized ratifying organization for Tsugaru Strait swims. Independently organized swims may be submitted for ratification through MSF Documented Swims.

Tsugaru Strait route
Route Swims First Fastest
Honshu to Hokkaido 9 Miyuki Fujita - 2005 Attila Mányoki - 07:29:00 (2014)
Cape Shirakami (Hokkaido) to Honshu 4 Steven Munatones - 1990 Steven Munatones - 06:39:00 (1990)
Cape Tappi (Honshu) to Hokkaido 3 Steven Munatones - 1990 Steven Munatones - 06:11:00 (1990)
Cape Ōma (Honshu) to Hokkaido 1 Elizabeth Fry - 2016 Elizabeth Fry - 15:48:00 (2016)
Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 37 David Yudovin - 1990 Mariel Hawley Dávila - 06:20:52 (2018)

Date Name Gender Age Nation Route Km Time
1990 Jul 7 David Yudovin Male 38 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 13:10:00
1990 Jul 29 Steven Munatones Male 28 Cape Tappi (Honshu) to Hokkaido 19.5 06:11:00
1990 Jul 30 Steven Munatones Male 28 Cape Shirakami (Hokkaido) to Honshu 19.5 06:39:00
2005 NA NA Miyuki Fujita Female Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 11:36:00
2011 Sep 20 Penny Palfrey Female 49 Cape Shirakami (Hokkaido) to Honshu 19.5 14:30:00
2012 Jul 10 Darren Miller Male 29 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 15:55:00
2012 Jul 14 Stephen Redmond Male 46 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 12:45:00
2012 Jul 15 Michelle Macy Female 35 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 08:55:00
2012 Aug 31 Craig Lenning Male 33 Cape Shirakami (Hokkaido) to Honshu 19.5 10:44:00
2012 Sep 8 Kenichi Setsumasa Male Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 09:48:00
2012 Sep 13 Anna-Carin Nordin Female 41 Cape Tappi (Honshu) to Hokkaido 19.5 19:11:00
2012 Sep 13 Pat Gallant-Charette Female 61 Cape Tappi (Honshu) to Hokkaido 19.5 19:36:00
2012 Sep NA Forrest Nelson Male Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 09:26:00
2013 Aug 12 Adam Walker Male 35 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 15:31:00
2014 Jul 3 Kimberley Chambers Female 37 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 09:38:00
2014 Aug 9 Attila Mányoki Male 40 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 07:29:00
2015 Aug 21 Guy Moar Male 48 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 11:32:00
2015 Sep 7 Daniel Curtis Male 49 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 13:39:10
2015 Sep 14 Rohan More Male 29 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 10:37:45
2015 Sep 15 Antonio Argüelles Male 56 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 12:38:26
2016 Aug 12 Abhejali Bernardová Female 39 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 11:07:58
2016 Aug 19 Stephen Junk Male 55 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 11:02:00
2016 Aug 24 Honoka Hasegawa Female 17-18 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 08:31:17
2016 Sep 6 Toshio Tominaga Male 73 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 09:58:00
2016 Sep 11 Elizabeth Fry Female 57 Cape Ōma (Honshu) to Hokkaido 18.8 15:48:00
2017 Jul 25 Ion Lazarenco Tiron Male 39 Cape Shirakami (Hokkaido) to Honshu 19.5 11:20:00
2017 Jul 27 Jorge Crivilles Villanueva Male 46 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 08:29:47
2017 Aug 30 Adrian Sarchet Male 42 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 14:02:09
2017 Sep 11 Prabhat Koli Male 18 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 09:52:00
2018 Jun 21 Ryan Utsumi Male 39 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 08:28:00
2018 Jun 21 Cameron Bellamy Male 36 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 11:07:28
2018 Jul 1 Mariel Hawley Dávila Female 50 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 06:20:52
2018 Jul 1 Nora Toledano Cadena Female 48 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 06:20:52
2018 Jul 11 André Wiersig Male 46 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 12:55:53
2018 Jul 19 Andrew Hunt Male 57 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 10:52:22
2018 Aug 10 Thomas Pembroke Male 29 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 15:01:30
2018 Aug 14 Lynton Mortensen Male 54 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 09:34:15
2018 Aug 19 Masaki Sugita Male Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 13:18:43
2018 Sep 12 Simon Olliver Male 54 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 11:58:11
2018 Sep 20 Boguslaw Ogrodnik Male 53 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 12:30:00
2019 Jul 19 Jonathan Ratcliffe Male 45 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 11:14:00
2019 Jul 20 Claire Faranda Female Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 09:51:24
2019 Aug 5 Kieron Palframan Male 45 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 08:49:05
2019 Aug 5 Nathalie Pohl Female 24 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 10:09:40
2019 Aug 19 Dina Levačić Female 23 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 07:13:15
2019 Aug 19 Marcia Cleveland Female 55 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 10:11:02
2019 Aug 21 Emre Erdogan Male 32 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 07:16:17
2019 Aug 21 Matthias Kaßner Male 51 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 09:45:00
2019 Aug 29 Luca Pozzi Male 34 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 08:20:58
2019 Aug 30 Herman van der Westhuizen Male 53 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 10:22:37
2022 Jul 5 Caitlin O'Reilly Female 18 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 11:37:43
2022 Jul 20 Tariq Qazi Male 16 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 11:20:17
2022 Jul 25 Ayaka Matsushita Female 29 Cape Kodomari (Honshu) to Hokkaido 29 10:59:56
2022 Jul 25 Ayaka Matsushita Female 29 Honshu to Hokkaido 19.5 10:59:56

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