In August 2016 I swam the Marilyn Bell route across Lake Ontario, ratified by Solo Swims Ontario with swim master Shaun Chisholm. Marathon swimmer and adventurer Madhu Nagaraja led our fantastic team on the water. The swim was part of our ongoing efforts to raise funds and awareness for our Great Lakes. With GLOW: Great Lakes Open Water adventures, we promote and pursue adventures in our home waters and around the world.
On 12 August 2019, after an unsuccessful attempt the previous summer, I crossed the English Channel from Abbot's Cliff to Cap Gris Nez in 12 hours and 2 minutes, supported by my brother Andrew King, escorted by Simon Ellis and Marilyn Critchley piloting High Hopes, with CS&PF observer Graham Proctor.
On 28 September 2021, I managed to fumble my way across the Catalina Channel under the watchful eyes of CCSF observers Jodi DiLasco and Qing Li and kayakers Barbara Schumacher and Patricio Libenson, supported by Drs. Juan Gabriel Acosta and Isabella Jaramille, and escorted by David Harvey and the crew of Pacific Star.
On 16 April 2023, I became the first Canadian man to swim across the Cook Strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. (The first Canadian across was my friend and mentor Marilyn Korzekwa, who completed the crossing in March 2016). My time was 7 hours, 33 minutes, 37 seconds. We had relatively warm temps (17-18C) and a favourable second tide. The swim was observed by Corey Fairbairn of Cook Strait Swim, and I was supported on the water by my friend and WLU faculty colleague Dr. Christine Neill. There were dolphins! I talk about the swim, and marathon swimming more generally, in this podcast with Scott Radley.
On October 1st 2023, my swim bestie Lynn De Lathouwer-Rogers and I swam a tandem 20 Bridges swim around Manhattan, completing the 46km circumnavigation in 7 hours, 44 minutes, 45 seconds. Our good friend and fellow swimmer (and logistics master!) Kat Borczak kept us fed and safe from the lead boat, while kayakers Richard Clifford, Steven Harris, and Alex Arevalo kept us on the line. Thanks to NYOW observer Paula Croxson, a seasoned swimmer herself, and to David Barra and Clare Kelly for everything they do for marathon swimming and keeping this iconic adventure alive. You can read about our swim here!
After Cook and Manhattan I had a rough stretch swimming-wise: I bailed on swims in the North Channel, Hawaii, and the southwest of Ireland between Baltimore and Fastnet Rock. I may return to the colder swims when I figure out a way to manage my debilitating reaction to sustained temperatures below 16C, but in the meantime I've returned to the Pacific to find that sense of joy and wonder that keeps me coming back to these crossings.
On April 21st, 2026, I became the first Canadian to swim the Ka'iwi channel between the Hawaiian islands of O'ahu and Molokai, setting (what I am confident will be very briefly) a course record on the O'ahu-Molokai line. We avoided the notorious cookiecutter sharks that have plagued fellow swimmers, but we did encounter a curious silky shark (who eventually swam off, deciding I wasn't food). I came back to Hawaii with Lynn as my crew, and we had a very different swim strategy, thanks to the tireless generosity and deep expertise of Dr. Steven Minaglia of the Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association, and captain Jamie Barlow (who was helped on the water by longtime Hawaiian pilot and paddler, Skosh). As a NOAA scientist and all-around waterman, Jamie's knowledge of these waters, and their fish (especially sharks) is formidable, and Steve has researched wind and current conditions throughout the islands as a longtime marathon swimmer and the force behind the Maui Nui Swim. Steve's research on encounters between swimmers and cookiecutter sharks is transforming how these swims are planned and executed. So grateful for this amazing team: thank you Lynn, Steve, Jamie, and Skosh! Here is some coverage of the swim and the team from local news, along with a short segment they ran, based on a longer interview with Derek Kravitsky from Hawaii News Now on the swim, and marathon swimming more generally, and here is a short piece by Scott Radley in The Hamilton Spectator about the swim and our curious shark!
Here are my swims at the Marathon Swimmers Federation database, LongSwimsDB.