Successfully crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar – Waschi conquers the fourth stage in the Ocean’s Seven
Just eleven days after successfully swimming the Cook Strait in New Zealand, Andreas Waschburger was already facing the next challenge in his Ocean’s Seven mission: the Strait of Gibraltar. After travelling out on 4 April (flying from Luxembourg to Málaga then driving on to Tarifa), Waschi and his team began preparing for their next milestone.
The shortest distance between Punta de Tarifa (Spain) and Point Cires (Morocco) is 14.5 kilometres, but currents meant that Waschburger ultimately had to cover 15.1 kilometres in his attempt. He reached the African mainland after 2 hours, 51 minutes and 21 seconds, the fastest time ever achieved by a German swimmer. This beat the previous German record, from top athlete Christof Wandratsch, by one minute.
Tactical challenges: currents and ship traffic
The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the busiest seaways in the world. Around 300 merchant shops pass through the strait every day, requiring meticulous planning and precise coordination with the shipping route.
Waschburger was accompanied by two boats:
Main boat
This was steered by skipper Cristina Montiel Guzmán, who chose the ideal route and coordinated communications with cargo ships and the Moroccan coastguard. This boat also held Waschi’s wife Jasmin and Rouven, who were responsible for media reporting and live broadcasts on hylo.sport.
Support boat
This had Fernando Díaz Piñero as its skipper, alongside whom Waschburger unswervingly blazed a trail across the strait. From here, coach Jan Wolfgarten provided his protégé with regular food supplies, whilst an official ACNEG representative monitored the attempt.
An early start was initially on the cards before departure, but seemed a lot less likely after arriving, and then things rapidly changed on Saturday: the weather conditions took a turn for the better and Waschburger was able to begin his swim on Sunday 6 April.
Starting swimming at sunrise
The team arrived at the harbour at 7:15 a.m. and the boats then departed. Waschburger jumped into the water shortly after 8 a.m. – as the sun was rising over the horizon. The water temperature was a challenging 16 degrees Celsius, but Andreas was perfectly prepared, having been toughened up by the previous stages and his ice swimming excursions.
The early risers among the fans on Sunday were able to celebrate in real time and follow Waschi’s swim via our live updates on Instagram and a tracking website.
Waschi swam at a high speed for the first hour and covered 6.8 km – a rapid pace, similar to the one he achieved in his world-record-breaking English Channel crossing and initially raising hopes of a record. However, a countercurrent then appeared, slowing him down and preventing him from managing an absolutely top time.
Perfect conditions needed for record
The world record for the fastest Gibraltar crossing is 2 hours and 16 minutes (Georgios Charalambous, 2009). These top times can only be achieved when the currents are with the swimmer. Waschburger had a fast start, but was slowed significantly by countercurrents after the first hour.
By comparison, Olympic champion Kristóf Rasovszky completed the 10-kilometre open water swim down the Seine at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 1 hour, 50 minutes and 52.7 seconds. This highlights how heavily the support of currents can affect record times in Gibraltar and how extremely technically challenging the strait is.
Waschburger explained after his swim:
I am delighted to have come in under three hours. That is a very solid time. And to be five minutes faster than Andy Donaldson, who holds the record for the fastest overall time across all seven stages, putting me now 6 hours and 35 minutes ahead. I am also very happy to be the fastest German ever to swim the route.
To Waschburger, the overall time for the seven stages of the Ocean’s Seven is much more important than his individual times. His current lead over the existing record means that he is well on track to beat it and has swum one step closer to his overarching goal.
Ocean’s Seven
The ultimate challenge for Andreas Waschburger
Read about his current world records, insights into his attempts, and other updates in this overview.
Four down – three to go
After successfully crossing the English Channel, Moloka’i Channel, Cook Strait and now the Strait of Gibraltar, there are just three stages left, all of which are planned for this year:
- Catalina Channel (USA)
- North Channel (Ireland – Scotland)
- Tsugaru Strait (Japan)
We will be following closely across all our media channels. The pursuit of the record continues!
As each stage is completed, the vision moves further within reach – to complete the Ocean’s Seven, set a new benchmark, and write the next chapter in the history of open water swimming.
Go for it, Waschi! We are behind you all the way.