Kingman teen swims Strait of Gibraltar without wetsuit
KINGMAN, Ariz. — A Kingman teenager has become the youngest American to swim the Strait of Gibraltar without the aid of a wetsuit.
Jacob Miyauchi, 16, and a group of adults associated with the Phoenix-based Swim Neptune swim club completed the transcontinental swim at sunset Friday.
Strong winds postponed the attempt seven consecutive days and heavy fog delayed Friday’s effort. Miyauchi and his swim mates entered the water off the coast of Spain at Tarifa Island, the southern most point of Europe, and finished on the northern shore of Morocco in Africa.
Swim Neptune leader Joe Zemaitis said the direct distance is a little more than 12 miles but 5- to 8-foot swells and changing current extended the record-breaking swim to about 15 miles with ocean temperatures in the upper 60s. Four support vessels helped the group navigate around commercial freighters in the world’s busiest shipping lane to complete their swim in 5 hours and 32 minutes.
“The swim was actually a little easier than I thought it was,” Miyauchi said. “We just got into a good rhythm and kept going.”
Miyauchi has been a member of the Kingman Dolphins swim club for 10 years and has twice swam from Alcatraz Island to the California coast. He spent 10 months training for the Gibraltar swim.
