Location
Perth to Rottnest Island, Western Australia
Date
February 21, 1998
Distance
19.7 km
About This Swim
I attempted the Perth to Rottnest Island swim on 6 consecutive years from 1998-2003. My times ranged between 7 hours 42 minutes in 2000 and 10 hours and 3 minutes in 2003. My first Rottnest Island swim in 1998 was on the 21st of February 1998 and I used this swim as one of my lead up swims for the English Channel swim later in 1998. In the 1998 Rottnest Island swim we had 7 foot cross swells and it was a very difficult day of swimming, but this was what I was looking for in relation to a good hit out prior to the English Channel. The water conditions are a lot warmer then the English Channel, but to have rough conditions throughout the swim in the Indian ocean and also my team also had a good hit out in relation to how we woulduse the whistles and feeding in this Perth Rottnest Island swim of which we would use later in the year for the English Channel was valuable. I completed my first Rottnest Island swim in 1998 in 7 hours 51 minutes and I was very happy with how this swim went. For next 5 years 1999-2003 I would always start my swimming year with doing the Perth to Rottnest Island swim.
The Perth to Rottnest Island swim is one of Australia's most challenging ocean swims, covering 19.7 kilometers of open water from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island. James Pittar completed this swim multiple times (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003), becoming the first blind person to successfully complete this iconic Australian swim.
This swim presents unique challenges including strong currents, varying water temperatures, and the need for precise navigation across open ocean. For a blind swimmer, the achievement is even more remarkable, requiring complete trust in support crew and exceptional swimming ability.