First double swim crossing of the English Channel (female)

The first double swim crossing of the English Channel by a female was achieved by Cindy Nicholas (Canada) on 7–8 September 1977. She departed Shakespeare Beach, near Dover, Kent, UK, at 7.50 a.m., arriving at Cap Gris Nez in France just 8 hours 58 minutes later; she then retraced her route, arriving back at Shakespeare Beach at 3.45 a.m. the following day. Her total journey time was 19 hours 55 minutes.

Nicholas would go on to complete four more two-way crossings of the English Channel: in 1979, 1981 and twice in 1982. This still represents the most English Channel double crossings by a woman.

Nicholas, who later would become a politician for several years, passed away as a result of cancer on 19 May 2016.

The first double swim crossing of the English Channel overall was performed by Antonio Abertondo (Argentina) on 20–22 September 1961, with a total time of 43 hours 10 minutes.