Thursday, March 28, 2024

Local swimmer sets tentative date for historic Juan de Fuca double-cross

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Last year, local athlete Susan Simmons swam across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles to Victoria in record time, becoming the eighth person ever to do so.

This summer, she’s gonna do it again—twice. And she now has a tentative date for the swim: August 1.

“We are getting close and the weather is looking promising for a Wednesday, August 1 start,” Simmons says.

susan simmons
Susan Simmons will attempt to swim across the Juan de Fuca Strait and back this August. (seaproof.tv)

As previously reported, Simmons could be the first one to ever swim the width of the Juan de Fuca twice in one trip. That’s a total of 66 kilometres.

Simmons, who has Multiple Sclerosis, swims to raise awareness about the disease and environmental issues. She’s lived with MS for more than 20 years, and uses cold-water swimming and a vegan diet to control its symptoms.

In preparation for the double-crossing, Simmons has swum more than 1,000 kilometres since September.

Her training has included extensive swimming at night and in cold water, including swimming a portion of the Inside Passage, spending six hours in waters that got as cold as 10 degrees Celsius.

Should the weather go south by August 1, there are two other windows in which Simmons can attempt the swim: Aug. 18/19 and Sept. 1.

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Myles Sauer
Former staff editor and writer at Victoria Buzz.

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