Andy Donaldson

Andrew Donaldson (born 10 February 1991) is a Scottish-Australian marathon swimmer and advocate for mental health, ocean conservation, and water safety.

He is the first person to complete the Oceans Seven marathon swimming challenge within a single year and has broken multiple world records, including for the circumnavigation of Manhattan Island and the Cook Strait crossing between New Zealand's North and South Islands.

In 2023, Donaldson was named World Open Water Swimming Association Man of the Year and received the organisation's Performance of the Year award. In 2026, he was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Early life and career Growing up in West Kilbride, Scotland, Donaldson started swimming with the North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club at age seven. He attended Largs Academy for secondary school before graduating from Loughborough University in 2012.

In 2013, he relocated to Perth, Western Australia where he pursued professional swimming before later working in accounting and finance.

After failing to qualify for major international teams, Donaldson retired from competitive swimming in 2016. and during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, worked as a volcano tour guide in Nicaragua.

In 2021, Donaldson returned to competitive marathon swimming by winning the 19.7 km Rottnest Channel Swim in Western Australia. In 2022, he set a course record in Tasmania's 34 km Derwent River Big Swim and won the 25 km Palm Beach to Shelly Beach Swim in Sydney. He completed the challenge in 355 days, becoming the first person to achieve the feat within one calendar year while setting multiple national and world records.

The campaign also raised funds and awareness for the Black Dog Institute and mental health initiatives.

Donaldson began his challenge by swimming the English Channel in 8 hours, setting a new British record. He later became the first Scottish male to complete a solo swim of the North Channel,

In March 2023, he set a new world record for New Zealand's Cook Strait crossing, completing the 22 km swim in 4 hours, 33 minutes and 50 seconds. Despite this, he continued the campaign and later set British records for both the Strait of Gibraltar and Catalina Channel crossings.

Donaldson completed the Oceans Seven challenge in July 2023 after successfully crossing Japan's Tsugaru Strait. +Swims of the Oceans Seven Date Swim Route Distance Time Remarks 2022-08-07 English Channel England to France 33 km 08:00:00 British record 2023-07-11 Catalina Channel Catalina Island to Los Angeles (USA) 32.3 km 09:22:52 British record 2023-07-27 Tsugaru Strait Honshu to Hokkaido (Japan) 19.5 km 13:04:30 The event was organised to promote awareness of ocean health and sustainability .

On 19 September 2024, Donaldson broke the world record for the circumnavigation of Manhattan Island, completing the 45.9 km swim in 5 hours, 41 minutes, and 48 seconds.

In April 2026, Donaldson completed the 55 km Ord River Dam to Dam swim in Western Australia's Kimberley region, swimming from Lake Argyle Dam to Swim Beach near Kununurra's Diversion Dam in 11 hours, 51 minutes and 27 seconds, setting a new course record. Media coverage of the swim highlighted the logistical and environmental challenges of the route, including the presence of freshwater crocodiles.

Charity Work and Advocacy Donaldson is an advocate for mental health awareness, sustainability, and open-water swimming. Many of his marathon swims have supported charitable and community initiatives.

His Oceans Seven campaign raised funds for the Black Dog Institute, and he has supported mental health organisations including the Kai Eardley Foundation, of which he is an ambassador .

In October 2023, Donaldson successfully completed a 33 km swim from Rottnest Island to Elizabeth Quay in Perth to raise funds for Telethon and the Perron Institute for Neurological Science. He repeated this challenge in 2024 and 2025.

Awards and Recognition

World Open Water Swimming Association - Man of the Year (2023) World Open Water Swimming Association - Performance of the Year (2023) International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame - Honouree (2026) Health & Fitness Association Awards - Lifetime Achievement Award (2026)

Notable Swims and Achievements