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Mags O’Sullivan with her certificate awarded after swimming the Straits of Gibraltar.
A LOCAL woman has completed an impressive achievement by swimming the Straits of Gibraltar.
On Monday, June 17, Mags O’Sullivan was offered an opportunity to swim the Straits, after a long wait of seven years.
“I had just turned 60 a few weeks prior to this so this was a wonderful birthday present to get and I was over the moon,” said Mags, who works as General Manager of the Aqua Dome.
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For 21 days prior to this date, swimmers had not been permitted to swim the Straits of Gibraltar due to adverse weather conditions, so Mags considered herself lucky to be afforded the opportunity.
“Although I had booked to swim a solo crossing there was another swimmer second on the list waiting to swim so we agreed to share this weather window and swim together,” said Mags. “His name was Javier Vázquez Díaz-Mayordomo a 46 years old Spaniard from Madrid and I was blessed to have him accompany me across the Straits.”
Mags O’Sullivan with fellow swimmer Javier Vázquez Díaz-Mayordomo.
“Swimming the Gibraltar Strait with Javier was very special as I found swimming alongside him very comforting and I was able to relax into the swim from the word go. We left Tarifa Island in the southern part of Spain at 7:30am and landed in Morocco after a total time of 4 hours and 43 minutes covering a total distance of 15’1 kilometers.”
“We were supported during the swim with the team from ACNEG who were at all times professional and safety conscious,” added Mags.
“This swim was indeed a team effort and its success was due to the commitment from everyone on the team at ACNEG along with support from family and friends. Thanks to everyone who made this dream a possibility for me and for the Straits of Gibraltar for allowing me to swim it!” concluded Mags.
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