(the English Channel (French: La Manche, “the sleeve”) is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the ‘Atlantic’)
The sport of Channel Swimming traces its origins to the latter part of the 19th century when Captain Matthew Webb made the first observed and unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover swimming from England to France on 24 August 1875 – 25 August 1875 in 21 hours and 45 minutes.
The fastest verified swim of the channel was by Petar Stoychev on 24 August 2007.
(he crossed the channel in 6 hours 57 minutes 50 seconds)