Somerset swimmer to be first to tackle seven gruelling sea swims in a year

A swimmer from Somerset is about to try an endurance swimming challenge no one else has managed - swimming across seven sea channels in less than a year.

38-year-old Beth French from Milverton is starting by swimming 22 miles from Northern Ireland to Scotland.

Over the next year, Beth will also attempt similar swims in the USA, Hawaii, New Zealand, between Gibraltar and Morocco, Japan and then the English Channel next August.

She says only six swimmers have done all 7 swims in their lifetimes but no-one has done them in a year.

Beth’s first swim will mean braving water temperatures of just 12 degrees C without a wetsuit, swimming through swarms of jellyfish and spending around sixteen hours in the sea without a break.

She’s no stranger to open water swimming. In 2014 she was the first woman to swim 26 miles form Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly.

Beth hopes to start her challenge on the 6th of September. Here are the seven swims she's taking on:

Channel 1 - North Channel, Ireland to Scotland

  • Beginning - 6 September 2016

  • Distance - approximately 18 miles

  • Average temperature - 14 degrees C

  • Challenges - Strong currents, cold temperatures, rough seas, jellyfish, strong tides and fickle weather

Channel 2 - Catalina Channel, California

  • Beginning - 12 October 2016

  • Distance - 21 miles

  • Temperature - 22 degrees C dropping to 14 degrees C

  • Challenges - strong currents, abundant shark life

Channel 3 - Molokai Channel, Hawaii

  • Beginning - late November 2016

  • Distance - 28 miles

  • Temperature - 24 degrees Celsius

  • Challenges - strong Pacific currents and swells, abundant wildlife, energy-sapping warm water

Channel 4 - Cook Strait, New Zealand

  • March-April 2017

  • Distance - 21 miles

  • Temperature - 16 degrees Celsius

  • Challenges - rough seas, strong winds, abundant wildlife

Channel 5 - Straits of Gibraltar, Spain to Morocco.

  • Late May 2017

  • Distance - 10 miles

  • Temperature - 16 degrees Celsius

  • Challenges - busy shipping lane, possible great whites.

Channel 6 - Tsugaru Channel, Japan

  • 3 July 2017

  • Distance - 18 miles

  • Temperature - 16 degrees Celsius

  • Challenges - very strong currents, busy shipping lane, strong winds, rough seas, abundant wildlife

Channel 7 - English Channel, England to France

  • Week beginning 21 August 2017

  • Distance - 22 miles

  • Temperature - 16 degrees Celsius

  • Challenges - very strong tides, strong currents, cold water, very busy shipping lane