Oldest person to swim across False Bay (male)

Simon Ince (South Africa, b. 30 July 1959) swam across False Bay in South Africa aged 62 years 205 days on 20 February 2022. Departing at 5.30 a.m., he swam from Miller's Point to Rooi Els, piloted by Derrick Fraser, and completed the crossing in 10 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds. This record was ratified by the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association and the False Bay Swimming Association.

False Bay is the largest bay at the southern tip of Africa, situated between False Cape Point (aka Hangklip) and Cape Point. The distance is approximately 34 km (21.1 mi) as the crow flies, but as with any long-distance ocean swim, the final route is greatly affected by currents, wind, swell and waves on the day. Water temperature in the bay varies from 20°C (68°F) in the summer to 10°C (50°F) in the winter. The bay is home to a variety of wildlife, including seals, dolphins, whales and most infamously great white sharks, although the latter tend to be found nearer the shore, meaning swimmers and their support teams need to be extra-vigilant at the start and end of the crossing.

To date, the fastest man to swim across False Bay is Ryan Stramrood (South Africa), who completed a one-way crossing in 8 hours 39 minutes 50 seconds on 18 March 2021. The fastest woman (and also the first person on record) to successfully swim across False Bay is Annemie Landmeters (Belgium), with a time of 9 hours 56 minutes, on 30 January 1989.

Photo credit: Abri Kruger