As Slobodna Dalmacija writes, this Croatian long-distance swimmer swam the 23-kilometer-wide Cook’s Strait in New Zealand, becoming only the 23rd person in the world and the first in Croatia to swim all seven major world marathons. The first person to swim all seven channels was Stephen Redmond in 2012, while the last was Adrian Sarchet in February 2020.
Dina Levacic’s story began in 2017 when she swam the Catalina Channel in California, then the English Channel in Europe, the Moloka’i Channel in Hawaii, the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The young woman from Split announced her latest success on social media on her 27th birthday, after 11 hours of swimming, with high waves and an ocean temperature of around 16 degrees. The Cook Strait is located between the North and South Islands in New Zealand, and due to the low temperature of the ocean and strong currents, it is considered one of the most difficult swimming challenges.
“I would be overjoyed if it happened on my birthday, but it could also happen in the next few days,” the optimistic Dina Levacic said at a recent press conference. Her birthday wish ended up coming true.
“Thank you to everyone who was by my side, not only in swimming but also in education, my professional and private life. This is the success of everyone who stands behind me; I am proud that my name will stand next to 22 others who completed all seven swims. And that the Croatian flag will stand next to those who swam the Oceans Seven. Now I just need to blow out the candles on my birthday cake before midnight”, said Dina Levacic.
She shared how the sea felt and what she was going through.
“Greetings to everyone after the final adventure and project that began in 2017 with the Catalina swim. Today was quite challenging, which was expected, although I was hoping for the weather to be a bit calmer, but that’s how it is in this sport. Unpredictable. The waves were quite strong, and we hoped the sea would calm down during the day, but it didn’t. It was merciless, but the most important thing was that I reached the South Island and touched the coast, and the main goal was fulfilled. Now I can start realizing some new projects. This is a great success and the crown of 23 years of swimming training. All the sacrifice, work, and effort paid off. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way.
She still wants to swim…
“From Vis to Split, I hope that I will finally succeed,” she announced at the press conference before leaving for New Zealand.
Dina’s Oceans Seven
2017 – Catalina Channel in California
On August 3, 2017, Dina Levacic became the first person from Croatia to swim the 34 km long Catalina channel. She swam from Catalina Island to Los Angeles. The start was at night, at 11 pm local time. Dina crossed the finish line after 9 hours and 47 minutes, reaching the beach below the Trump National Golf Club.
2017 – The La Manche
Dina swam 45 kilometers in 11 hours and 42 minutes. The main challenge was beating herself, to spend a long time in the icy water with a temperature of 16.5 degrees. Although the channel is 34 kilometers wide in its narrowest part, more swimming is needed due to unfavorable conditions.
2018 – Moloka’i Channel in Hawaii
The Moloka’i channel in Hawaii is 42 kilometers long. The weather conditions for swimming the channel were far from ideal, a strong wind with gusts of 50 km/h, high waves that made swimming even more difficult, and even a jellyfish that burned her badly. However, none of these was an insurmountable obstacle, and this marathon lasted 13 hours.
2019 – Tsugaru Strait in Japan
Tsugaru in Japan is located between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido and connects the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Dina started at midnight local time and swam almost 31 kilometers to Hokkaido in seven hours, 13 minutes, and 15 seconds.
2022 – Strait of Gibraltar
In 2022, this was Dina Levacic’s fastest swim of 15.3 kilometers that, separate Europe from Africa, that is, Spain from Morocco. A total of 84 male and female swimmers swam across Gibraltar last year, and Dina swam across it on June 18 in just 3 hours and 3 minutes.
2022 – The North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland
Dina Levacic became the first person from Croatia to swim the 34-kilometer-wide North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland; it took her 10 hours, 26 minutes, and 58 seconds.
2023 – The Cook Strait in New Zealand
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