The English Channel has its Half Century Club, an exclusive group of individuals who have successfully crossed the English Channel past their 50th birthday.

The Strait of Gibraltar, the Catalina Channel and the Molokai Channel all have their own Half Century Clubs.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the 16-mile, cold-water Cook Strait also has its own Half Century Club, but there are only three marathon swimmers who have qualified to date:

1. Pam Dickson (New Zealand), 55, N-S in 9:23 in 2009
2. Scott Coleman (USA), 53, N-S in 10:27 in 2007
3. David Yudovin (USA), 52, N-S in 9:38 in 2004 (shown above)

Compared to the other channels of the Ocean’s Seven, the Cook Strait is a rather youth-oriented channel with an average age of 25 years for its successful swimmers.

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