The Most Challenging Open Water Swims in the World

In this video we're going to be looking at the most gruelling open water challenges in the world. Have you ever wondered how easy it is to escape prison? Alcatraz is one of America's most notorious prisons. In 1962, three prisoners escaped Alcatraz and completely vanished. They jumped in the water at the dead of night and swam to freedom. Now you can try to swim the mile and a half stretch from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco Bay yourself. To do so you can take part in the yearly shark fest, but you better get your tickets because it sells out months in advance! Although the mile and half stretch might not seem demanding, you have to contend with cold water, strong currents, boat traffic, sea lions, and there's even been sightings of sharks. Now we have the North Channel. It's 20 miles long and it goes between Scotland and Ireland. It's only been completed a handful of times despite the numerous attempts. Be careful when swimming this though because you can suffer from hypothermia, there's even jellyfish! Next up we're in the Scottish Highlands of Loch Ness. It's 23 miles long and one mile wide. However, there is a yearly challenge which is only one mile. But, it's not a swim in the park, pun intended. You have to contend with freezing cold waters and poor visibility as the mist hovers over the highlands. Just beware of the Loch Ness monster! Now we have one of the most iconic open-water swims in the world, the English Channel. This 21-mile swim has been completed over a thousand times since 1875. You'll be battling against strong and unpredictable currents which can add miles on your swim. However, due to the high volume of traffic, it is tightly regulated. Due to the temperamental weather that we have here in England, it's best to tackle it in summer. And if you get tired, you can always hop on a P&O Cruiser. Finally we have the Tsugaru Channel. This is one of the ocean's seven, the others are the Northern and the English Channel. It's a 12-mile swim from Honshu in Japan to the North Island of Hokkaido. You just have to make sure you avoid all the sea snakes, squids, jellyfish, giant tuna, sharks, and even Godzilla! We realise there were tons of open water swimming challenges out there but those ones were some of our favourites. What are yours? Let us know by commenting below.