Andy Donaldson has made waves in his latest marathon effort, conquering the 14.4km Strait of Gibraltar in a new British record, while completing the fifth leg of his Oceans Seven challenge.

Mr Donaldson set out from the start with an impressive pace and ideal conditions, which he managed to maintain for the duration of the swim, completing the swim in 2 hours 56 minutes.

“We had the most gorgeous weather, with unexpectedly calm conditions and zero wind, which was amazing,” said Mr Donaldson.

“I felt strong in the water, maintaining the pace, I desired, but as I got further into the channel, it became clear, that breaking the overall record, might not be within reach because we didn’t have any tidal assistance.”

“I didn’t let this dampen my spirits and kept pushing on to eventually break the British record, which was incredible.”

Mr Donaldson was lucky enough to have the support of his family for the duration of the swim, while also dodging orcas, which had been a concern leading up to the swim.

“I was accompanied by my father, aunt and uncle on the support boat, who cheered me on for the whole swim,” said Mr Donaldson.

“I was also very lucky that despite recent reports of orcas attacking sailing boats in the strait, I didn’t encounter any but there were whales spotted in the vicinity, and I did see some dolphins throughout the swim.”

“Although, it was a great way to tick off my fifth swim before I tackle the Catalina Channel in Los Angeles and the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan, in July.”

To follow Andy’s journey as he tackles his last two swims on his Ocean Sevens Journey follow his fundraising page or Facebook or Instagram.