At the 30th of June 2022 (fingers crossed, this date might change slightly due to weather and tide conditions) we will swim the English Channel as part of a relay team of six for Aspire! 

As everybody’s lives got interrupted by the pandemic, so did ours! Sarah, who swam for the national team of Ecuador as a teenager, was training for the Masters World Championships in Japan. Tine, originally from Germany, was working in different parts of the world as a trekking guide. Then, the world came to a halt, and we both had to reinvent ourselves! Tine, living close to Wardie Bay Beach in Edinburgh and being an open water enthusiast all her life, started swimming daily in the North Sea and ended up becoming an Open Water Swim Coach. She is now running her own business. On the other hand, with the pools closed, Sarah started to look for open water spaces to keep on with her swimming. Our passion for open waters is the reason why we met! 

Since July 2021 we have both trained together in Edinburgh. Sarah keeps an eye on speed and technique, whereas Tine shares her experience and knowledge about cold water swimming. The perfect match to ensure we are both ready and acclimatised for our next big challenge: to take part in a relay swim through the English Channel in June 2022. We hope sharing our passion and experience in open water swimming can inspire other people to take up the sport and gain the multiple health benefits and awareness on wildlife and nature. We’d be happy if you followed our journey and supported us by donating to Aspire, a charity supporting people with spinal cord injuries.

You can find more pictures and info about our swimming and training on instagram: @tineopenwater and @sarah_najeraespinosa

Some of the challenges we may encounter during our swim:

• Distance: 21 miles (32 Km), usually it becomes longer due to tides and weather conditions

• Swim time: A LONG TIME! From 7 hours (if you are an olympic swimmer) and up to 27 hours 

• Day or night swim: BOTH! It might get scary in the dark

• Wildlife: LOTS! Sharks, seals, whales, jellyfish, eels

• Weather: can change very quickly and usually does not match weather forecast 

• Water temperature: it will be cold, between 14-18C. However, temperatures have been as low as 6C

• Food and water during swim: Yes, but not allowed to touch the boat or you will be disqualified   

• Wetsuit: NO! We are only allowed to wear a swim cap, googles, nose clip, earplugs and swimsuit

• Ferries and tankers: So many! ~600 tankers and 200 ferries pass through the channel every day