Hawkesbury’s Michael Payne Conquers Epic Irish and Gibraltar Sea Crossings
Hawkesbury local and lifeguard Michael Payne is a true champion when it comes to swimming long distances.
Having conquered the famed English Channel crossing aged 19 in 2022 – the youngest Australian to do so – Michael, 21, is celebrating after swimming across the Irish Sea from Northern Ireland to Scotland, and also the Strait of Gibraltar within a hectic fortnight.
He swam the 34.5km Northern Channel on July 30, starting at Robbys Point on the North Irish Coast, completing the epic journey in 10 hours, three minutes. He followed it up by crossing the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco (15.1km) on August 12, in three hours, 36 minutes, again watched proudly by his Dad Steve and Mum Jenny.
Michael, who has done open water swimming and relay events with his Dad in his teens, trained for a month in Ireland before these challenges.
And unsurprisingly, the son of two Ironmen contestants is already preparing for his next adventure in September: swimming the gruelling Catalina Channel which separates Santa Catalina Island from southern California.
“The Northern Channel swim was a tough swim as the water was 13.2-14.6 degrees Celsius and the current picked up towards the end, but other than that, I had pancake flat conditions luckily enough,” Michael said. “I was really tired and my body was very sore as I was stung by a lion’s mane jellyfish but I was very lucky with the conditions on the day.
“I just love long distance swimming, having been to the Australian Nationals twice when I was in college. I love open water championships and I am looking forward to trying the Nationals one more time next year. I thank my parents for all their support.
“I train nine to ten times a week, often in the mornings and afternoons at the Nepean Aquatic Centre and also go to the gym twice a week. For the Northern Channel swim, I had to put on around 10kg, which was a mental and physical challenge in itself.
“Before my Northern Channel swim, I attended the Cork Distance Week, which is an amazing camp with international legends from all over the world, including Ned Denison, whom I was fortunate to know and train with.”
Michael did cold water training in the Hawkesbury River and Lake Canobolas in Orange. “I have done two solo, one team (four team members), and two duo crossings of Rottnest Channel Swim (WA), which were categories for the event,” he said.
Michael is a former Hawkesbury Sportsperson of the Year (2022) and in 2023 received the Special Achievement Award as part of Australia Day Awards.
Michael is also completing his nursing degree at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst. He had numerous placements in western NSW this year to complete, so training was challenging. However, he diligently followed the training program set by his coach James Sweeney and former coach Jackie Barck.
Michael has been supported by the Richmond Club for the past two years.
