Romanian swims across New Zealand’s Cook Strait as part of Oceans Seven project

Romanian Paul Georgescu recently swam across the Cook Strait, which separates the North Island from the South Island of New Zealand. It is the sixth strait he swam across.

The Cook Strait links the Tasman Sea with the South Pacific Ocean. The strait measures 22.5 kilometers, but strong currents made Paul's route 29 kilometers long.

This is the sixth strait Paul Georgescu has managed to cross as part of the most significant global project in open-water swimming: Oceans Seven. He still has the Tsugaru Strait in Japan left to cross, and the challenge is set for the end of July.

"I am fully motivated to finish the Oceans Seven project this summer and will do everything within my power both in physical and mental preparation," he said, cited by Digi24.

"I had to battle, for several hours at different times during the crossing, with a strong current. In these periods, you have to sprint to manage to get past those sections; otherwise, you risk being deviated from your course and not making it to the other side. There were also wind spells that brought quite big waves, which made me change my swimming technique. It was a tough crossing, the third hardest among the six successes in this project," he added.

Paul Georgescu started the crossing just 48 hours after landing in New Zealand, and the time difference was another aspect that made his crossing more difficult. He says that his training is the reason why he managed to cross.

For the Cook Strait crossing, the Romanian had the support of his manager, Iulian Zamfir, his wife, and two of the best open and ice water swimmers: Irishman Ger Kennedy and New Zealander Philip Rush, the man who holds the world record time for 2, respectively 3 consecutive crossings in the English Channel.

The Oceans Seven project involves crossing 7 of the world's most difficult straits and channels: the English Channel, North Channel, Catalina Channel, Kaiwi Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, Cook Strait, and Tsugaru Strait.

Paul Georgescu was named Man of the Year in 2021 at the World Open Water Swimming Association Awards.

(Photo source: Paul Georgescu on Facebook)