Fastest swim crossing of the Dál Riata Channel (male)

The fastest solo crossing of the Dál Riata Channel between Scotland and Northern Ireland, UK, by a male swimmer is 7 hours 23 minutes 28 seconds, by Andrew Packer (USA) on 14 July 2024. His swim between the Mull of Kintyre, Argyll and Bute, and north of Cushendun, County Antrim, has been ratified by the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association (ILDSA).

Piloted by Pádraig Mallon, Packer set out at 8.03 a.m. and ended at 3.26 p.m.

The minimum straight-line distance for the Dál Riata Channel route located at the northern end of the North Channel (which must begin at Scotland’s Mull of Kintyre but can end at any point on the Irish coast) is just over 20 km (12.4 mi); however, as with all open-water sea swims changeable factors such as currents and wind often result in the swimmer covering a greater distance.

The first person to successfully complete the Dál Riata Channel was Wayne Soutter (South Africa) who traversed the channel in 12 hours 11 minutes on 26 August 2012.