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The register of African marathon swims

Every entry will carry a classification that says exactly how it is known. Swims completed under different rules are never presented as directly comparable records.

Swims

The register opens once AMSA’s swimming rules are adopted and independent reviewers are appointed. Nothing is published until it has been reviewed.

Register not yet open

No swims have been ratified yet.

Ratified swims will appear here, each linked to a permanent public verification page. Historical entries will appear only after research and moderation.

How ratification will work

Each entry will show

  • Swim ID
  • Swimmer
  • Route and route version
  • Date
  • Elapsed time
  • Category: Traditional Skins or Assisted
  • Designation: marathon swim or Recognised Crossing
  • Ruleset and version
  • Classification
  • Ratifying body
  • Evidence sources

Seven classifications, never blended

Each classification has its own badge, shape and label, so status never depends on colour alone. Only verified and approved information is presented as formally ratified.

  1. AMSA ratified

    A solo marathon swim of 10 km or more, assessed and approved by independent AMSA reviewers under an adopted AMSA ruleset, in the Traditional Skins or Assisted category.

  2. AMSA Recognised Crossing

    A separate, provisional designation for a shorter, geographically significant crossing. Never listed, ranked or certified as a ratified marathon swim. Not yet open.

  3. Ratified by [organisation]

    Ratified by another recognised organisation under its own rules. The organisation is always named, and its original decision is recorded rather than re-made by AMSA. Never automatically treated as AMSA-ratified.

  4. Historically documented

    A swim independently documented from historical sources. Recognised under a separate historical policy, not retrospectively ratified.

  5. Historical claim, unverified

    A historical claim that needs further verification. Listed so that evidence can be found, never presented as fact.

  6. Awaiting review

    Submitted for ratification and not yet decided. Never presented as ratified.

  7. Not ratified / withdrawn

    Rejected or withdrawn applications, kept in the audit record and subject to appropriate privacy controls.

Swims under different rules are not compared

Each swim is tied to the route version, swim category and ruleset it was completed under, so that like is only ever compared with like.

  • Categories stay separate

    Solo marathon swims come first. Any future categories, such as relay, stage or expedition swims, will be clearly differentiated and never ranked against one another. Recognised Crossings are a separate designation and are never listed as marathon swims.

  • Skins and Assisted kept apart

    Founders’ decision

    Traditional Skins swims and Assisted swims, such as those in wetsuits or technical racing suits, have separate records and are never ranked against each other. The detailed swimwear rules are published only once adopted.

  • Routes are versioned

    If a route’s official start or finish changes, earlier swims stay linked to the version they actually swam.

  • No automatic records

    AMSA will not designate world, continental or national records without a clearly defined, published recognition policy.

First, fastest and earliest are different facts

A first documented completion is not a first ratified completion, and neither is necessarily the first-ever completion. The register keeps them apart.

First ratified

The first swim on a route version to be ratified by AMSA. It says nothing about who swam the route before AMSA existed.

First documented

The earliest completion for which documentation exists, shown with the strength of that evidence.

First ever

The first-ever completion of a route may never be known. The register will show the first known historical completion, with its evidence, rather than assume it was the first.

Planned lists for each route

  • Fastest recognised completions Per route version and swim category. No entries yet
  • First ratified completion The first swim on a route version to be ratified by AMSA. No entries yet
  • Earliest documented completion The earliest completion supported by documentation. No entries yet
  • First known historical completion The first completion known to AMSA’s research, with its evidence shown. No entries yet
  • Country-specific achievements Completions grouped by the swimmer’s nationality. No entries yet
  • Individual swimmer achievements Each swimmer’s recognised swims, on their profile. No entries yet

Preserving swims from before AMSA existed

Many African swims happened long before AMSA. The archive will document them honestly, keeping verified evidence, reliable documentation and unverified claims clearly apart.

AMSA will not retrospectively ratify historical swims merely because they appear credible. Instead, well-supported swims may be recognised as historically documented achievements under a separate historical records policy.

A public pathway for submitting historical information will open later, and every submission will be moderated before publication. If you hold newspaper reports, photographs, logs, witness accounts or original documentation in the meantime, please get in touch.

Share historical information

How historical evidence is distinguished

Draft policy

  • Independently verified evidence

    Original documentation, such as contemporaneous records, certificates or observer logs, that has been independently checked.

    Historically documented

  • Reliable secondary documentation

    Trustworthy accounts of the swim, such as newspaper reports, that support it without being original evidence.

    Historically documented

  • Unverified claims

    Reported but not yet supported by sufficient evidence. Published only with this label, and open to further research.

    Historical claim, unverified