Frequently Asked Questions:
How long is the English Channel swim?
The distance is approximately 21 miles. However, the swim distance varies due to the current and the swimmer's accuracy.
What is the temperature of the water?
Much like the distance of the swim, the temperature varies. Most often, it is between 55°F and 65°F with an average of 60°F.
How long does the swim take?
The swim ranges from 8 to 20 hours with an average completion time of 10 hours.
What age was the youngest swimmer to complete the channel swim?
The youngest swimmer was 11 years old. It is now required that you are at least 16 years of age. If Alex completes the swim, he will be the youngest swimmer from Indiana to complete the English Channel swim.
What age was the oldest swimmer?
85 years old.
What does an English Channel swimmer wear?
The swimmer is allowed to wear a speedo, cap, goggles, and ear or nose plugs. You may not wear a wet suit.
Is the swimmer allowed any assistance?
No. The swimmer may not touch the boat or anyone in the boat.
What do you get for completing the swim?
You recieve a certificate from the Channel Swimming Association.
Are there any rules?
The basic rules are as follows:
- Swimmer must start and end on land. If the swimmer ends in an area where he/she cannot exit the water, he/she must touch the land, and swim back to the boat.
- There must be a qualified observer in the boat. This observer watches the swimmer to ensure that they follow the rules.
- The swimmer must not touch the boat or anyone in the boat.
Why swim from Dover to France?
The French government does not support the channel swims. You cannot start a channel swim from the French side of the channel.
What is the challenge?
The channel swim is considered the "Mount Everest" of swimming. This is because there are many challenges involved in completing a channel swim.
- While the distance is 21 miles, the swimmer may stray from the path. This may result in swimming up to 30 miles.
- The water temperature is also a challenge. The average temperature, 60°F, is still very cold in comparison to body temperature.
- You must start at the proper time to ride the tides out from Dover and into France. If you do not calculate the change in tides correctly, the current can push you away from your destination.
- As would be expected, there are aquatic animals which could become obstacles, such as Jellyfish.
What does a channel swimmer eat?
What a channel swimmer eats must be decided on personally by the swimmer. Each person reacts differently, and must make personal decisions such as whether or not to eat solid foods. Alex will be drinking 24-32 oz of a grape juice and nutrient supplement mixture every half hour. He will also be rinsing his mouth with citris mouthwash to clear his mouth of salt water.
Why does Alex want to complete an English Channel Swim?
Because the English Channel presents a unique challenge. Alex wants to push himself to complete as many unique challenges as possible, and feels that he has the skills required to swim the English Channel.