Gráinne Moss on her 39-year swim journey through the Oceans Seven

Congratulations to Gráinne on her Oceans Seven!!!!

Gráinne Moss is an ultramarathon swimmer from Wellington, New Zealand who recently completed the Oceans Seven, a series of gruelling swims around the globe. It's been a 39-year odyssey for Gráinne, who swam the English Channel in 1987 at just 17 years old and completed her seventh swim in June this year at the age of 56. Gráinne swims under her Irish passport and is the first Irish woman (and 45th person) to complete all seven swims!

In this episode Gráinne (pronounced Gron-ya) shares stories from all seven swims, including swimming across the choppy English Channel as a teen in the 1980s; a "very, very large" shark encounter in the Cook Strait; battling 12-degree water and lion's mane jellies in the North Channel; the 42km 'Channel of Bones' in Hawai'i; and the thrill of completing the Oceans Seven in her mid-50s. We also talk about the swims that took more than one attempt and how they were learning opportunities that led to future rewards, and the ongoing support of her friends, family, and the wider swim community.

Gráinne's Oceans Seven

1. English Channel – 3 August 1987 – 11 hours 52 minutes
2. Cook Strait – 6 March 2001 – 12 hours 25 minutes
3. North Channel – 22 July 2022 – 13 hours 33 minutes
4. Moloka'i Channel – 12 May 2023 – 15 hours 7 minutes
5. Catalina Channel – 7 July 2023 – 11 hours 22 minutes
6. Straits of Gibraltar – 22 May 2024 – 4 hours and 23 minutes
7. Tsugaru Strait – 19 June 2026 – 12 hours and 29 minutes

Visit Gráinne's blog grainnemoss.com for detailed accounts of her swims and follow her @swimirishkiwi on Instagram (or Facebook).

Visit Kenziesgift.com to learn more about Gráinne's fundraising. Kenzie's Gift supports children and young adults who need grief or mental health support when a parent or sibling has died or has a serious illness.

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