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Story: Open water swimming

Cook Strait conquerors

First Name, age, country Date Direction Time
Man Barrie Devenport, 27, NZ 20 November 1962 North–south 11h 20m
Woman Lynne Cox, 18, USA 4 February 1975 North–south 12h 2.5m
North–south crossing Barrie Devenport, 27, NZ 20 November 1962   11h 20m
South–north crossing Perry Cameron, 30, NZ 12 January 1972   9h 36m
Double crossing (man) Philip Rush, 20, NZ 13 March 1984 North–south
South–north		 7h 51m
8h 25m
Double crossing (woman) Meda Sweetman (McKenzie), 23, NZ 26–27 March 1984 North–south
South–north		 11h 9m
11h 50m
Fastest Name, age, country Date Direction Time
Woman Denise Anderson, 21, NZ 20 January 1986 South–north 5h 4m
Man Casey Glover, 21, NZ 13 April 2008 North–south 4h 37m
South–north crossing Denise Anderson, 21, NZ 20 January 1986   5h 4m
North–south crossing Casey Glover, 21, NZ 13 April 2008   4h 37m
Double crossing (man) Philip Rush, 20, NZ 13 March 1984 North–south
South–north		 7h 51m
8h 25m
Double crossing (woman) Meda Sweetman (McKenzie), 23, NZ 26–27 March 1984 North–south
South–north		 11h 9m
11h 50m
Oldest Name, age, country Date Direction Time
Man Toshi Ogawa, 60, Japan 4 March 2015 South–north 11h 51m
Woman Pam Dickson, 55, NZ 20 March 2009 North–south 9h 23m
Youngest Name, age, country Date Direction Time
Boy Aditya Raut, 11, India 21 February 2005 North–south 9h 9m
Girl Stephanie Bennington, 13, NZ 22 April 2007 North–south 8h 10m

Cook Strait, which separates the North and South islands, is the premier open water swimming challenge in New Zealand, and is notorious for its treacherous tides and cold waters. Many people have tried and failed to make the crossing, but of those who have succeeded a few stand out because of their age, or because they were first or fastest. This table shows the leaders in all these categories.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Open water swimming – Major marathon courses, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/table/6901/cook-strait-conquerors (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 February 2016.