Wavell State High’s Brianna Thompson to Take On English Channel Swim

Brianna Thompson, a Year 12 student at Wavell State High School, is now preparing to swim the torturous English Channel.


Credit: Facebook/Brianna’s English Channel Swim 2018

The 16-year-old national open water swimming squad member from the Albany Creek Swim Club has been undergoing her 32 weeks of channel training before taking on what is considered by many as the ultimate long-distance swim challenge.

An English Channel swim is extra challenging for many swimmers because aside from the >32-kilometre distance, there are several variable conditions that face any swimmer attempting to complete it.

Photo credit: www.lib.utexas.edu/Wikimedia Commons

First, the distance may vary depending on the movement of the current. The water moves swimmers for a few kilometres from side to side as the tide ebbs and flows. The fastest recorded swim across the English Channel is a little over seven hours and the slowest took nearly 27 hours to finish.

Photo credit: www.channelswimmingassociation.com

Aside from the changing distance which depends on the conditions of the current, the water itself is cold with temperatures ranging from 14-18 degrees Celsius.

Despite knowing the challenges that she may encounter in the English Channel, the teenager is set to conquer the treacherous waters.

She had been training hard these days, swimming six to eight hours as she prepares to swim for the Channel. No big waves can stop this determined teenager from swimming in the open water.


Credit: Facebook/Brianna’s English Channel Swim 2018

While others take a year or two to prepare for the swim, the teen swimmer has little over four months more to train and prepare for her most awaited open-water swim.

Thompson is set to swim the Channel between the 15th and 24th of September 2018. She will be swimming beside the boat named the Viking Princess which will be piloted by Ray and Reg Brickell.

You can follow her journey in her blog dedicated to the English Channel Swim.