Magellan Swim Challenge

Summary

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who embarked on a 1519 Spanish expedition with the goal of crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and opening a trade route to present day Indonesia. The voyage is well known for being the first to circumnavigate the Earth. Although Magellan himself did not survive to complete the journey, his name is synonymous with global navigation, exploration, and human tenacity.

Because of this, I want introduce the epynomous Magellan Swim: swimming 25,000 total miles, approximately the circumference of the Earth.

In reality, Magellan’s expedition covered almost 60,000 miles. But I’m not trying to get killed in the Phillipines. Plus, you can create a swim route that is nearly the same distance (if you’re alright with a quick swim through the Panama Canal).

I’m not sure if anyone’s officially completed this yet, but most distance Olympians and open water specialists are probably close, if not already there.

Personal Progress

I didn’t officially record all the practices of my competitive swimming career, but I think a conservative estimate is 11,000 miles. As of May 2026, I belive I have swam

in my life. On the interactive globe below, the green path represents the distance I’ve swam so far, and the red path represents the distance I have left to go. The overall path follows a hypothetical circumnavigation starting in the San Francisco Bay and crossing through the Panama Canal on the way back.