„FOR NATHALIE POHL, THE CATALINA CHANNEL IS ALREADY THE THIRD OF A TOTAL OF SEVEN STAGES ON THE WAY TO HER BIG PROJECT: THE ‘OCEAN’S SEVEN’! SIMILAR TO THE ‘SEVEN SUMMITS’ IN MOUNTAINEERING, THEY ARE CONSIDERED THE SEVEN MOST IMPORTANT DISTANCES IN OPEN WATER AND WERE ONLY LAUNCHED IN 2009.“
The press writes: „Only six swimmers worldwide have mastered this battle with the sea since then. No athlete from Germany has achieved this yet.”
And again it was halfway around the world for me to take part in a race of the Ocean’s Seven Challenge. A complete contrast to my last challenge in the rough and cold English Channel, because this time I started in the warm Catalina Channel in California. The distance between Santa Catalina Island and Los Angeles is about 33 km. What makes this race special is that it is swum at night, in pitch black with no visibility, the mental and physical strain being particularly high. So the dinghy provided the only source of light in the dark ocean. Catalina Island is a rocky island with steeply sloping shores. Fog and strong currents often dominate the sea. Not only because of the currents, but also because of the high number of sharks, swimming only makes sense at night. I have to train four to six hours a day when I prepare for such a challenge. Of course, there is no preparation for sharks. Fortunately, I am not very afraid of them. Nevertheless, I preferred the company of the dolphins that night. But I also dealt with swarms of jellyfish that I had to swim through. The race was definitely a high strain on my body and mind again, being a tough battle with the sea. But I didn’t give up and I reached my goal. That’s what counts!
The press writes: “With an outstanding time of 09:09:35 hours, she reached her destination Los Angeles at 08:33 (GMT-7) on 19 June. This makes Nathalie Pohl the first swimmer from Germany and also the fastest European ever to successfully complete this difficult passage with great courage.“
