Andrew Donaldson (born 10 February 1991 in Irvine, Scotland) is a Scottish-Australian marathon swimmer. Donaldson is a three-time world record holder with records including the fastest time to complete the Oceans Seven marathon swim challenge, and the fastest swim across the Cook Strait - the waters between New Zealand's North and South Islands.
Early life and career
Growing up in West Kilbride, Scotland, Donaldson started swimming with the North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club at age seven. Donaldson attended Largs Academy for secondary school, then graduated from Loughborough University in 2012. In 2013, he relocated to Perth, Western Australia to pursue professional swimming.
After falling short of his Olympic aspirations, he retired from swimming in 2016 to work in accounting and finance. Following struggles with his mental health, Donaldson took a career break to backpack overseas. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was working as a volcano tour guide in Nicaragua.
He returned to Perth and to swimming in 2020. He found that the sport helped him with his mental well-being. In Perth, Donaldson co-founded Swimclan with his mentor Martin Smoothy to assist adults in learning to swim, to improve their health, and to pursue goals.
In 2021, he placed first in the 19.7km Rottnest Channel Swim.. In 2022, he set a new record in the 34km Derwent River Big Swim in Tasmania, and won the 25km Palm Beach to Shelly Beach Swim.
Oceans Seven
In 2022, Donaldson announced that he would embark on the Oceans Seven challenge. Donaldson's goal was to complete the challenge in one year to raise money for the Black Dog Institute and awareness for mental health. He was nominated for the World Open Water Swimming Association's Man of the Year 2022.
Donaldson crossed the English Channel in eight hours. Donaldson set the British record for the swim. He became the first Scottish male to complete the swim between the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland). In New Zealand, Donaldson set a new world record for fastest swim across the Cook Strait in four hours thirty-three minutes.
Donaldson was hospitalised after completing the Molokai Channel. He faced strong waves and headwinds during this swim. He set a new British record for his swim of the Strait of Gibraltar with a time of two hours and fifty-six minutes. In Los Angeles, he overcame illness to complete the Catalina Channel in nine hours twenty-two minutes. After successfully crossing Japan's Tsugaru Strait in July 2023, Donaldson completed the Oceans Seven challenge.
World Records
The fastest male (and person overall) to swim across the Cook Strait, between New Zealand's North and South Islands in 4:33:50 on 8 March 2023. The fastest time to complete the Oceans Seven swimming challenge (calendar duration) in 355 days between 7 August 2022 and 27 July 2023. The fastest time to complete the Oceans Seven swimming challenge (cumulative swim time) is 63:02:09 between 7 August 2022 and 27 July 2023.
Sources
Scottish male swimmers
People from West Kilbride
Living people
Open water swimming
World record holders in swimming
Year of birth missing (living people)