Swimmer attempts record swim in river with large croc population

Tuesday, 28 April 2026 11:58

The world record holder is attempting a 55km swim, but may have a few companions along the way.

A British-Australian marathon swimmer is attempting to break a record in a 55-kilometre swim in WA's Ord River, which is populated by thousands of crocodiles.

Andy Donaldson, who already holds two world records in long-distance open water swims, is attempting the 'dam to dam challenge', swimming from the top of Lake Argyle to Kunnunurra.

He would be just the second person - and the first man - to do it, with Simone Blaser completing the swim in 16 hours and 13 minutes in 2024.

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Andy Donaldson has a support crew helping him on his record attempt to swim the Ord River in WA.

"This was never just about distance. It's about preparation, precision, and adapting to whatever the river throws at you," a post published this morning said.

Donaldson began his swim at 5.30am local time today, posting regular updates on his social media pages.

He can be seen swimming in the river with a support boat nearby and a kayaker paddling alongside him for safety reasons.

This could be useful, as the river is populated by thousands of crocodiles.

Andy Donaldson holds several world records.

Andy Donaldson swimming in Los Angeles, United States, in 2023

While the large majority of these are freshwater crocodiles, which are timid and generally harmless to humans, there has been an increase in the number of saltwater crocodiles in river in recent years.

A 2019 survey found there were around 2000 saltwater crocodiles in the river, and experts believe that number has grown.

Donaldson will not swim with a protective cage, but said the boat and kayaker alongside him were measures they said put in place.

"We don't want to be reckless," he told AAP.

It would be his longest swim he has undertaken so far, with some of his world record attempts, including swimming between the south and north islands of New Zealand and circumnavigating Manhattan Island in New York City.

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