IRLIreland

Ned Denison

2005 Channel solo · Cork Distance Week founder

Source country: Ireland in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Alternate source description: American expatriate in Kinsale's profile; USA in Dover's 2005 swim row.
Selected Channel result: 12:47:00 in 2005; published date disagreement retained.
Training community: Sandycove Island, County Cork.
Organising milestone: Introduced Cork Distance Week in 2009.
Hall of Fame: Honor Administrator, 2012.

Biography

Ned Denison is a marathon swimmer and organiser recognised under Ireland by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. Kinsale's community profile describes him as an American expatriate who moved to Cork in 2001 and later to Kinsale in 2013. His own swimming and his work building a local endurance community developed around Sandycove Island.

His successful English Channel crossing came on his second attempt in 2005. The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation's annual table records 12 hours 47 minutes with pilot Dave Whyte and Ocean Breeze. Its separate account describes leaving Shakespeare's Beach before dawn and reaching a French beach. The published dates disagree: the annual register gives 11 September, while the story's heading and introduction give 14 September. The profile retains that uncertainty.

Denison's contribution extended to organising other swimmers' Channel projects and developing events at home. He hosted a Champion of Champions event in 2008 and introduced Cork Distance Week in 2009. The latter brought swimmers together for concentrated preparation in Irish sea conditions.

His Hall of Fame recognition in 2012 was as an Honor Administrator. He subsequently received the 2013 Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award. Alongside this organisational career, he completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming; Kinsale's 2023 account described fifty-five marathon swims and more than three thousand Sandycove laps.

Selected Channel swim records

Successful second Channel attempt

Sources disagree

The federation-hosted story describes a completed second attempt, leaving Shakespeare's Beach and reaching a French beach.

The annual register dates this swim 11 September 2005; the hosted story says 14 September. Both report 12 hours 47 minutes.

Recorded swim date · Sunday, 11 September 2005 · Start or finish date not specified by the source

Elapsed swim time · 12h 47m 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 narrative describes entering the water at 03:00 on a Sunday, without a numeric date or stated time zone. Because the published dates conflict, this is retained as an account detail rather than a structured start clock. No finish clock is inferred.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Departure · Shakespeare's Beach, Dover

Arrival · French beach (not named in the account)

Pilot / piloting team · Dave Whyte

Escort vessel · Ocean Breeze

How this record was checked

CS&PF 2005 Solo Swims table, Ned Denison row under Date / Swimmer / Pilot/Boat / Time / Track: 11th September, Dave Whyte / Ocean Breeze, 12:47:00. Dover.UK.com's 2005 row 48 corroborates 11 September and 12:47. CS&PF story 16, heading and opening sentence, instead gives 14 September 2005, while its narrative says Sunday. The register date is retained without resolving the contradiction. CS&PF's annual pending-ratification disclaimer does not establish a committee decision.

Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation: 2005 swims

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Solo Swims row for Ned Denison: 11th September, Dave Whyte / Ocean Breeze, 12:47:00.

Limitations · Page says results remain unofficial until committee ratification; no subsequent decision inspected. Separate hosted story gives a different date.

Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation: Ned Denison 2

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Named account of successful second attempt in 12 hours 47 minutes; route from Shakespeare's Beach to France and early-morning departure.

Limitations · Heading and introductory sentence give 14 September 2005, unlike 11 September in the annual table; narrative says Sunday without a numeric date.

Dover.UK.com: successful swims in 2005

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Selected row 48 lists Ned Denison, 11 September 2005, 12:47 and USA.

Limitations · Secondary country label differs from IMSHOF's Ireland designation; neither establishes concurrent citizenship.

Career milestones

Successful second Channel attempt

2005

The federation's annual row and hosted account agree on the 12:47 completion but differ on the September date.

Champion of Champions

2008

Hosted the multi-distance swimming event described in Kinsale's profile.

Cork Distance Week

2009

Introduced the concentrated open-water training gathering.

Hall of Fame recognition

2012

Inducted as an Honor Administrator under Ireland.

Administration award

2013

Received the Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award.

Recordings & media

Ned Denison — Kinsale athlete and community profile

Open media page

Athlete media

Named written profile of his swimming and work around Sandycove Island; includes a dated 2023 career snapshot.

Link checked 2026-10-31

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Ned Denison?: This profile includes 1 selected solo performance for Ned Denison. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Ned Denison’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim is recorded on Sunday, 11 September 2005. The source does not establish whether that date means departure or arrival. Conflicting details are identified in the crossing record.
How long did Ned Denison’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 12 hours, 47 minutes and 0 seconds. The annual register dates this swim 11 September 2005; the hosted story says 14 September. Both report 12 hours 47 minutes.

Supports · Selected row 48 lists Ned Denison, 11 September 2005, 12:47 and USA.

Limitations · Secondary country label differs from IMSHOF's Ireland designation; neither establishes concurrent citizenship.

Latest source review 2026-10-31.