First English Channel solo
Published account checked
Recorded swim date · Friday, 2 August 2019 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · 12h 13m 0s
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Timing note · The federation supplies a swim date and duration; no departure or arrival clock has been verified.
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · England to France
Pilot / piloting team · Neil Streeter
Escort vessel · Suva
Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation
How this record was checked
Personally checked the CS&PF 2019 annual row: 2nd August, Barbara Hernandez, Neil Streeter / Suva, 12:13:00. Her sponsor interview independently dates the same English Channel crossing. No underlying observer report was inspected.
CS&PF: successful swims by year
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Manually inspected annual rows: Rohan More in 2014; Barbara Hernandez in 2019; Barbara Hernandez Huerta in 2025.
Limitations · Select the relevant year. The page states that times/results remain unofficial until ratified by its committee; the underlying observer report is not reproduced here.
Dryrobe: Bárbara Hernández on completing Oceans Seven
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Original athlete interview, Chilean identity, dated swim chronology and June 2024 completion.
Limitations · Sponsor interview rather than a ratification record. The Catalina distance contains a visible typographical inconsistency and is not used.
Two-way English Channel solo
Published account checked
In her subsequent written interview, Hernández describes an ankle injury at the French turn and deteriorating weather on the return.
Recorded swim date · Wednesday, 30 July 2025 · Start or finish date not specified by the source
Elapsed swim time · 27h 18m 48s
Duration of the complete swim
Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed
Timing note · 30 July is the federation record date. Departure, French turn and English finish clocks are not established; the total is not split into separate attempts.
Format · Solo · 2-way
Direction · England to France to England
Pilot / piloting team · Lance Oram
Escort vessel · Sea Satin
Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation
Individual crossing times
These legs form one continuous 2-way swim.
Leg 1 · England to France · 13h 20m 47s
Leg 2 · France to England · 13h 58m 1s
How this record was checked
Personally checked CS&PF’s 2025 annual row: 30th July, Barbara Hernandez Huerta, Lance Oram / Sea Satin, 13:20:47 + 13:58:01 = 27:18:48. The two legs sum exactly to the published total. Her own interview corroborates the completed return crossing but rounds its duration to 27:19.
CS&PF: successful swims by year
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Manually inspected annual rows: Rohan More in 2014; Barbara Hernandez in 2019; Barbara Hernandez Huerta in 2025.
Limitations · Select the relevant year. The page states that times/results remain unofficial until ratified by its committee; the underlying observer report is not reproduced here.
Dryrobe: Bárbara Hernández on her double English Channel swim
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Original account of the 2025 double, ankle injury, changing conditions and teamwork.
Limitations · The narrative rounds the duration to 27:19. The CS&PF annual row supplies 27:18:48; the reported track distance is not treated as a standard course distance.
CHI