A channel too far for swimmer's 38-year challenge

Newsroom

15 hours ago

UPDATE: Gràinne Moss' attempt to swim Japan's challenging Tsugaru Strait – and complete all seven of the toughest open water swims around the globe – has fallen agonisingly short. Moss was forced to abandon her attempt on Tuesday morning (July 8) after swimming 55km in a 19.5km channel – stymied by intense currents and eddies.
'It was unlike anything I've experienced in any other swim,' says the 55-year-old, who's suffering from sunburn. 'But I'm not disheartened – I did everything in my power. It may be a 39-year wait [to complete the Oceans Seven] now.'
Gràinne Moss knows she can't tackle the final leg of one of the world's toughest swimming challenges alone.
In her quest to complete the Oceans Seven marathon challenge, 38 years after she began, she's enlisted the help of two remarkable women – one barely out of her teens, and the other an octogenarian. One is a record-smashing swimmer; the other is Moss' mum.
In her day jobs, Moss is chief executive of a government ministry and a mother of four. Before and after work, she's putting in the nautical miles for her shot at swimming across Japan's notorious Tsugaru Strait. The attempt in July, between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, is marked by treacherous tides, strict rules and a relentless race against the clock.
Not to mention avoiding schools of giant tuna hurtling through the strait.
Yet Moss isn't concerned how long it's taken her to conquer all seven of the planet's most challenging open water swims – a feat only 34 people have achieved.
'I'll probably win the record for the longest time to complete the Oceans Seven,' Moss says. 'I did the English Channel when I was 17, and I'm doing this one at the age of 55. So I'm really proud of that.'
One of the women she's called on for advice happens to be the youngest swimmer to complete the Oceans Seven challenge, Aucklander Caitlin O'Reilly – who was 20 when she accomplished it by crossing Hawaii's Molokai Channel in October last year. Moss and O'Reilly are friends who swap vital information about their big swims.
'I've known Caitlin for a long time, and she's absolutely incredible. We share the same coach in Philip Rush,' Moss says.
'I've been liaising with her and her mum, because I did some of the seven swims before her, and she did some before me. So I could ask them, 'How did you find it? Where did you stay? What did you use for seasickness?'
'This is a girl who swam Cook Strait at 12. But she's unassuming and so happy to help other swimmers. Our community is very close-knit, in the water and out, and we're very lucky to be part of it.'
Grainne Moss with her mum, Philippa – her on-boat companion for almost all of her major swims. Photo: supplied
Another woman in Irish-born Moss' support crew is her 80-year-old mother, Philippa Gunn, who's been alongside her for most of the major ocean swims in her life, and will be in the boat keeping a close eye on her daughter in Japan. She also makes a mean leek and potato soup, which Moss eats during her cold water swims.
'Mum is very determined to be on the boat, and she's probably the best person to be there, because she has so much experience,' Moss says. 'She went with me on the Straits of Gibraltar last May [a 14km Oceans Seven swim] and was the feeder for all four swimmers doing it.'
Moss, the CE of the recently formed Ministry for Regulation in Wellington, will be allowed three people on the boat across Tsugaru Strait. 'We have to have a family hui to decide who gets the other two slots,' she laughs.
'My dad's very clear he's not coming. He went on the English Channel swim with me in 1987 and swore never again because he got sick as a dog. He just doesn't travel well on boats.'
Moss' four children, aged between 15 and 21, have all been on at least one crossing with her. Her husband is often there with her, but this time she has a brother-in-law, a former international water polo player, who's keen to help.
So what's kept Moss, the former boss of Oranga Tamariki and a staffer at the Public Service Commission, swimming marathon distances all this time?
'I think it's a sense of adventure,' says Moss, who's fundraised over $30,000 through her swims for the Kenzie's Gift charity, helping young people who've suffered severe loss and grief.
'In Hawaii I got stung by a box jellyfish and I nearly walked on water. I did a top to toe assessment of how I felt, then I thought, 'Oh my god this pain is excruciating. It was the worst I'd ever had'. But then you think there's lots of kids going through a hell of a lot worse, so just hang in there for another half an hour.
'So it's the community, it's the adventure, it's the sense of achievement, and being able to bring awareness to an important charity.'
Moss has battled a chest infection in her lead-up to swimming Tsugaru. Photo: supplied
Moss has faced a string of challenges in the run-up to her final Oceans Seven swim. A chest infection has interrupted her in-water training, and simply getting permission to swim across the strait was a bit of an ordeal.
'It's really hard to get a slot for Japan – there are only eight slots available for international swimmers for the whole season,' Moss says.
There are also the strict rules around the swim, which you can't do it at night. The Japanese Coastguard insists swims be done between sunrise and sunset.
'You've got a 14-hour window,' Moss says. 'Which means it's very hard to swim with the tides, because they don't flow nine to five, Monday to Friday. So we go on a neap tide [a smaller difference between high and low tides].
'The Japan swim is also very unusual because it's 20km from point to point, but you actually start the swim 10km south of the start because of an incredibly strong tidal push. I haven't done a swim like that, so it's something I have to get my head around.'
And because the strait's tides are so strong, swimming fast is important.
'Cook Strait is similar – if you're really slow, you won't make it because the tide will turn and push you away,' Moss says. 'Phil just keeps telling me I need to swim bloody fast. In training, I do a little short warm up, then it's speed, speed, speed. I'm doing a lot in the pool because you get more speed doing reps.
'I did a couple of swims a few years ago that were very cold and I was very conservative with my body fat, so I probably ate a bit more cake. For this one, I want to drop 4-5kg and get the balance right between speed and warmth.'
Grainne Moss successfully swam the Around Manhattan swim, under 20 New York bridges, in July 2023. Photo: supplied
And then there's the wind. 'There's a lot of people who never get in the water in Tsugaru because it's too rough,' says Moss, who has a five-day window from July 3-7 to do the swim, or then reapply.
Possible aquatic companions could also make it interesting. 'I found out there are large schools of bluefin tuna through there. I'm hoping maybe one of them will give me a lift,' she jokes.
Then there's the language barrier, the remoteness in the north of Japan, and sparse accommodation. Moss will have a translator, who's worked with strait swimmers before. 'It's quite a technical swim and you don't want your safety compromised if you can't understand exactly what's going on' she says.
'Success is not guaranteed. I would be deeply disappointed if I don't do it, because I'm not getting any younger. And getting myself to top physical condition another year older makes it that bit harder.'
Moss saves up her annual leave for trips like this. She trains outside work hours, diving into the harbour at Oriental Parade or in a local pool at 6am, to get to work by 9am. 'I've got a lot quicker at getting changed,' she says.
Open water swimming today enjoys significantly more popularity than it did when Moss began. 'Back in the day you couldn't find anybody to swim with. You'd enter a race and there would be seven of you,' she says. 'But it's trendy now days, which is amazing.
'It's very accessible, it's affordable – all you need is a swimsuit, a pair of goggles and a tow float.
'When Caitlin was a finalist in the sportswomen category of this year's Halberg Awards, I was delighted because she absolutely deserved it. But very often the dedication, skill, determination and athleticism that the sport requires hasn't been recognised.'
Caitlin O'Reilly and renowned ocean swimming coach, Philip Rush. Photo: supplied
Moss has a few 'triple crowns' to her name. She's swum the New Zealand triple – Cook Strait in 2001, Lake Taupo in 2021, and Foveaux Strait in 2022. And she achieved the Irish triple over 36 years – from a 16-year-old crossing Galway Bay to completing the North Channel in 2023. That same year she collected another crown, adding the Around Manhattan and Catalina Channel to her English Channel swim.
So is there anything more to knock off?
'I'd like to get a couple of other triple crowns, to be honest,' she says. 'There's the Australian triple crown, then I need one more to get the 'Original triple crown', which is the Bristol Channel between England and Wales.
'And I'd like to do more of the lakes in Scotland and New Zealand. There's still plenty to do if I fancy it, if I can afford it, and if I can keep the body together.
'The swims might get shorter as I get older. But I would love to still be swimming when I can't walk. It's good for you in so many ways. Your mental health, because you have something to focus on, and you have to empty your mind.
'If you love something then just keep trying to do it. You'll have your ups and downs; you'll have your bad days and good days. You might not be as fast as you were at 17, but you can still achieve a lot.'