English Channel

Between Shakespeare Beach, below the cliffs of Dover, and Cap Gris-Nez, the English Channel measures 33.3 km (20.7 mi): this is the shortest distance between the points of departure and arrival, as measured by us along the coastline. The bodies that ratify the crossings cite 18.2 nautical miles (Channel Swimming Association) and 33.5 km (20.8 mi) (Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation), from Shakespeare Beach to Cap Gris-Nez. The association that ratifies the Strait of Gibraltar was also founded using the Channel one as a model.

Swimming across the tide

No one swims in a straight line. The tide runs along the Channel, about six hours toward the northeast and six toward the southwest, across the path: it is extremely rare to swim with the current at your back or against it. The route on the map becomes a large S. This is why one starts during neap tides, which are weaker, when the tide change arrives more slowly; the average amplitude of high tide at Dover is 5.3 m (17.4 ft) during neap tides and 6.8 m (22.3 ft) during spring tides.

Where you start, where you finish

Today, most crossings start from Samphire Hoe, below the cliffs west of Dover, or a little further south at Abbot's Cliff: the boat approaches the beach, the swimmer goes to shore, exits the water above the tide line, and starts at the signal^6. The goal is Cap Gris-Nez, but the tide on the French side is always stronger than on the English side: it often carries the swimmer past the lighthouse, and at the tide change, they land on a beach south of the cape, or to the north, toward Wissant^6. The crossing only counts if you exit onto dry land or touch a sheer cliff with no more sea in front of you.

You can no longer start from France to England. The French maritime prefecture prohibits any "unorthodox" crossing of the Pas-de-Calais traffic separation scheme; for historical reasons, it only tolerates the swim from Great Britain to France, organized by an association recognized by the British authorities. Double and triple crossings start again from France because they began in England.

Three hundred ships a day

The Strait of Dover is one of the busiest stretches of sea in the world^11. The pilot notifies the Dover coast guard via radio at the start, at the entry and exit of the southwest lane, and the French coast guard when entering the northeast lane.

The water, the season

The water ranges from about 15 °C (59 °F) at the end of June to 18 °C (64.4 °F) at the beginning of September. The season, set jointly by the organizations and the coast guards of the two countries, runs from April 1 to October 31, and outside of those dates, no crossing is accepted. Pilots are booked one, two, or three years in advance^11.

The rules

No wetsuits. You swim with a swimsuit, a cap, goggles, earplugs, and grease on your body; nothing that helps you float, stay warm, or go faster. The Channel Swimming Association requires a swimsuit without sleeves or legs; the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation also allows jammers down to the knee. No one may touch the swimmer, and the swimmer may not touch the boat^9. For a solo crossing, you must be at least sixteen years old.

On board, there is an observer from the organization who, every hour, notes the position, the water and air temperature, the wind, the tide, the strokes per minute, and every feeding. Based on their report and the pilot's chart, the organization decides whether to ratify the crossing.

Who ratifies it

Two organizations currently oversee the crossings. The Channel Swimming Association was founded in 1927 to authenticate crossings and verify their times, when fewer than a dozen swimmers had managed to repeat Matthew Webb's feat. The Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation trains its own observers and keeps the register of all solo crossings, from every organization, from which the rankings on this page are derived.