AMAZING ADAM GOES FOR FINAL ‘OCEANS SEVEN’ SWIM
Member set to be first Brit to complete world’s toughest open water challenge
Swimmer extraordinaire Adam Walker is this week vying to become the only Brit ever to successfully complete on the first attempt the world’s toughest open water challenge, Oceans Seven.
David Lloyd Leisure member, Adam, 36, who has been training at the group’s Lincoln club for his epic endurance feat, is set to embark tomorrow (Wednesday, August 6) at 7am – conditions permitting – on his seventh and final swim, crossing the Irish Channel from Donaghadee, Northern Ireland, to Stranraer in southwest Scotland.
Widely considered to be the most difficult channel swim in the world due to its heavy seas, hypothermia-inducing water temperature and strong currents, Adam will try to cover a distance of 21 miles (34km) in 12 hours.
He also faces the prospect of large pods of the Lion’s Mane jellyfish, the largest known species of jellyfish which inhabits the waters and can reach a diameter of 6ft 6ins (2 metres) with its tentacles topping 49 ft (15 metres).
It won’t be the first time Adam has had to overcome nature’s hazards – previous Oceans Seven swims have seen him being stung by a Portuguese Man ‘O War and saved from a Great White shark by a protective pod of dolphins!
If Adam crosses the precarious stretch of water successfully, he will become only the second person in the world to complete all seven swims that make up the Oceans Seven challenge on the first attempt. Only four humans have ever completed the feat at all – the aquatic equivalent of the Seven Summits.
To date, Adam’s impressive conquests include:
- English Channel, 21 miles (34km), July 2008 – completed in 11 hours 35 mins and sparking the ambition to swim the hardest seven oceans in the world
- Strait of Gibraltar, 8 miles (13km), July 2010 – completed in 9 hours 39 mins (British record) and the first Brit to swim from Spain to Morocco and back again
- Moloka’i Channel, Hawaii, 26 miles (42km), July 2012 – completed in 17 hours 2 mins after overcoming tiger sharks and first Brit to cross successfully
- Catalina Channel, US, 21 miles (34km) October 2012 – completed in 12 hours 15 mins in darkness and fog
- Tsugaru Strait, Japan, 12 miles (19km), August 2013 – completed in 15 hours 31 min, the first Brit to swim across the unpredictable channel through dangerous marine life
- Cook Strait, New Zealand, 16 miles (26km), April 2014 – completed in 8 hours 36 mins after being rescued from a 6ft shark by dolphins
Adam, of Newark, Lincolnshire, who recently gave up his job as a travelling salesman to be a swimming coach, has been training five days a week at David Lloyd Lincoln, Burton Waters, in preparation for his final mission.
Coupled with high intensity interval training (HIIT) and six-hour swims in Loch Lomond, Scotland, and Cork, Ireland, Adam feels confident of achieving glory.
“I am excited, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little nervous. This swim is the last of the hardest seven ocean swims on the planet and, when I cross it, I will be the first British person to complete the feat.
“The Irish Channel is the toughest on paper with Lion’s Mane jellyfish and hypothermia the two factors which stop most people from crossing. The temperature is only 12 degrees (54 ºF), too – when a swimming pool is 29 degrees (84 ºF), to put it into perspective.
“This swim is expected to take 12 hours and will no doubt test me again to the limit. However, it's not supposed to be easy and I will have to call on every bit of willpower I can muster!”
Adam, who is raising money for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (https://www.justgiving.com/swim4whales/), believes that his previous potentially fatal encounters have given him the necessary survival instinct should harm come his way in his last challenge.
“I have been stung by a Portuguese Man ‘O War, which made me lose the feeling in my spine, after more than thirteen hours of swimming and I had to carry on for over three hours in agony and almost paralysed. I’ve also been chased by sharks. I’ve had everything thrown at me, so hopefully I'm prepared.
“These swims have given me so much; they have changed my life. Seven years ago, I hadn't had a swim for 10 years, I was overweight, I wasn’t doing much sport and I was a little depressed. Now I am classed as one of the best open water swimmers in the world and I feel I can conquer anything!
“I believe you can achieve anything in life if you want it bad enough. No matter what your dreams are, with hard work and determination you can achieve them.”
To track Adam’s progress on his last swim, go to http://tinyurl.com/AdamWalkerNorthChannel
or visit www.adamwalkeroceans7.co.uk
Note to editors: For further information about this press release, photos or interviews with Adam, contact the David Lloyd Leisure press office on 01707 289833/4 or email press@davidlloyd.co.uk.
About David Lloyd Leisure Group
The David Lloyd Leisure Group operates 81 clubs in the UK and a further 10 clubs across Europe, comprising David Lloyd Clubs , Harbour Clubs and Next Generation, plus the new high street concept, David Lloyd Studio, in Islington, Putney and Winchester. It has over 440,000 members and employs 6,000 people. This includes an expert health and fitness team of over 1,800, while it contracts the services of more than 400 tennis professionals. Across all clubs, David Lloyd Leisure has over 150 swimming pools (of which half are indoor) and offers over 10,000 exercise classes per week. Every week 20,000 children learn to swim at David Lloyd Leisure and 12,500 learn to play tennis. Its racquets facilities are unparalleled with 800 tennis courts as well as 180 badminton courts and 140 squash courts. Additional facilities include health and beauty spas, club lounges with free internet access, crèches, nurseries and specialist sports shops.
