LOCAL LIFE
Oceans Seven record books
“ It was a good reward after the channel ,” Payne said , as the Moroccan coast was much warmer , 18-20 degrees .
Though shorter than his two channel swims , the Gibraltar Strait presented its own unique set of challenges , according to Steve .
The crossing , from the Spanish town of Tarifa to Tangier on the Moroccan coast , covers 15.1 kilometres in one of the world ’ s windiest areas and where the Kite Surfing world championships are held .
“ One major challenge is the wind . The second is fog , which means no swims due to poor visibility and the volume of cargo ships in this stretch of water ,” Steve said
The air temperature reached 35 degrees , vastly different to the 15-17 degrees in Ireland .
“ After a few days of waiting for the wind and fog to clear Michael received a message that a swim was set for Tuesday 12 August , a short 13 days after his epic North Channel swim .
“ He began in daylight at 3.15 pm … with a layer of spray zinc and grease to protect his skin , Michael was ferried to the starting point .”
Despite initial choppy conditions , Payne started strong covering five kilometres in the first hour and maintained a blistering pace to cover another five kilometres in the second hour , and on
his way to potentially breaking a record . However , the tide turned and rougher conditions impeded his progress .
Throughout the swim , dolphins and seals accompanied Payne , but focused on his mission he didn ’ t catch sight of them . After three hours and 36 minutes , he landed on a rocky outcrop on the Moroccan coast near the port town of Tangier .
Reflecting on the experience , Payne described it as a “ fun swim ” and one of the most enjoyable of his career . Only four marathons to go Payne continues to push the boundaries of what ’ s possible in the world of open-water swimming .
His next challenge this month ( September ) awaits in the USA at the Catalina Channel in California .
“ Back-to-back swims – I love it , let ’ s
Michael Payne during his Strait of Gibraltar marathon open water swim campaign .
power on !” he said .
Balancing his swimming achievements with his studies as a nursing student and work as a lifeguard at Windsor and Richmond pools and Penrith beach , Payne ’ s drive is unwavering .
As his parents , mentors and swim handlers , Jenni and Steve are a major driving force behind Payne ’ s success . While his feats continue to amaze , Payne and his family pursue the Oceans Seven with just one sponsor , Richmond Club .
“ I want to thank the chairman Geoff Luscombe especially , as Richmond Club approached us to be a sponsor and continue to support the challenges Michael does ,” Steve said .
With three of the seven swims already under his belt and the fourth imminent , Hawkesbury ’ s 2022 Sportsperson of the Year , is well on his way to completing his Oceans Seven challenge .
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THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 172 // SEPTEMBER 2024 9