Oceans Seven Challenge: Indian swimmer Sayani Das makes history, conquers Strait of Gibraltar

Kalna (West Bengal) [India], April 29 : Sayani Das, who is currently the first Asian female swimmer to have crossed six out of seven channels of the Oceans Seven Challenge, opened up on recently crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and her last remaining mission of the challenge, the Tsugaru Strait.

She also spoke on challenges associated with adventure water sports in India.

Sayani recently spoke toabout crossing the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco in April 2025 as part of the Oceans Seven Challenge, a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open-water channels.

In 2023, she was honoured with the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2023 to Sayani Das in the water adventure category by President Droupadi Murmu.

Speaking toabout the mission, Sayani said that swimming through the Strait of Gibraltar was a "mixed experience".

"It was a mixed experience because it is an adventure sport. You cannot predict what happens next. Sometimes, you predict something, but something else happens. So yes, a mixed experience," she said.

Sayani also mentioned that she began as a pool swimmer and transitioned to long-distance open-water swimming as her journey progressed.

"I started the Oceans Seven Challenge in 2017 and swam the English Channel in July 2017. Then, I swam through the Catalina channel in June 2019. I also swam in the Moloka`i Channel back in 2022 in Hawaii, becoming the first Asian female to have crossed the channel. Then, later in April 2024, I crossed the Cook Strait in New Zealand. Later in August, I crossed the North Channel, becoming the first Indian female swimmer to do so. Now, I have crossed the Strait of Gibraltar this month. The remaining one is the Tsugaru Strait (which is between Onshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan), and it is my mission," said Sayani.

Sayani said that as she transitioned to long-distance open water swimming, her diet, practice, and other aspects of her life all changed.

"Before this, in pool swimming, I would practice swimming one hour continuously. Now, 15 hours continuously. I also take ice baths. During this process. 60-70 kgs of ice is kept in a drum, and the temperature is around five to seven degrees Celsius. I do this to acclimatise myself to the cold conditions where these channels are located. During these things, my parents, school, college and various sponsors have helped me. My mentor, Sushil Kumar Mishra, also provided me with assistance. There have been various sponsors who have come forward to help me, including Matrix (Fertilisers and Chemicals), Surajit Bakshi, and BC Roy Engineering College, Durgapur. I am from a middle-class family with my father being a primary school teacher. We couldn't accomplish all this without their help. I did not face any mental pressure," she added.

Sayani also revealed that she crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in under four hours and opened up about the challenges associated with her sport.

"When we swim, we have to sign a paper that says if something happens, it is our responsibility. We also encounter sharks, whales, jellyfish, etc. But I like all this. My parents helped me a lot. We struggle to find sponsors, and there is no audience for our sport, as we are swimming. People struggle to understand what we are doing. Whole attention goes to just one sport, and we do not get encouraged a lot," he added.

On her next challenge, Sayani said that she wants to follow the Oceans Seven challenge and become the first Asian and Indian to do so.

"After that, I want to become a coach and share my experiences with the new generation," she concluded.

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