Ex Otago man becomes first New Zealander, oldest person to swim Strait of Magellan

James White (centre), flanked by fellow swimmers Randy Perkins (left) and Rob McGlashan, gets ready to enter the icy waters of the Strait of Magellan. Photo / Supplied

James White swam in the Clutha River in central Otago as a boy — and that was cold.

But he went to a whole next level last week.

White (64), who was born in Clyde and grew up in Alexandra, attending Dunstan High School, has just become the first New Zealander — and the oldest person ever — to swim the Strait of Magellan.

The strait is right down the bottom of South America and has the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans combining. In that territory, the Antarctic is just round the corner.

So it was no surprise it was a tad chilly.

“It was bloody cold. Unbelievably cold. You are getting waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific coming together. You would go into zones and the temperature would drop because it was water from the other ocean.

“There were times there when I was blacking out. Almost on the edge of fainting. It was like how a light goes to a dimmer. I was just hanging on at times,” White said.

Ocean water swimming is done under strict rules and no wetsuits are allowed.

He had to wear a pair of togs, ear plugs and a silicone cap — so there was no protection against the biting cold.

The water temperature was about 6degC. The average in Dunedin for sea water in November is just above 13decC.

Halfway through the swim he was confident he would get to the other side relatively easily.

“The way I started, I thought I was going to be on a record. Halfway there and I was only 30 minutes in. But then I started getting cold and the current pushed me astray.

“The second half took one hour. It was tough going. ... But I hung in there. There were porpoises swimming under us in the middle.”

He had planned to swim only 4km but the current led him to swim an exhausting 6.8km.

When he arrived on the other side of the strait, it was just relief and a real thrill, having become the first New Zealander and oldest person to do the swim. He had spent six years training for the swim. He became the 34th person to have conquered the strait.

Unbelievably, the colleague he swam with, Canadian Rob McGlashan, turned around and completed a double crossing.

“I wasn’t in good shape at the end. Likely in hypothermia stage two, heading for three. That was expected.”

Ocean swimming was what he loved, White said.

He had done the swim to Alcatraz many times and also ocean swims down the west coast of the United States, close to his Portland, Oregon home.

When he was a child, he stayed at his grandparents’ house in Dunedin for holidays.

Even then he would head down to St Clair Beach and spend hours in the water and enjoy the ocean. He loved the sea and also swam in the Clutha River when growing up.

A father of four, with one grandchild, he left New Zealand 40 years ago for a career in technology, having started out at Scott Engineering in Dunedin.

His next goal is to swim from Alaska to Siberia, although getting the approval from Russian authorities may be difficult. Until then, he will have to put his feet up for a well-deserved rest. - ODT