Swimmer crosses Strait of Georgia
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Melanie Buggey, 33, swam 29 km across the Strait of Georgia in 8h42m.
Her time may set a record, pending ratification by the Marathon Swimmers Federation.
Background
Melanie Buggey, a 33-year-old from Vancouver Island, completed an unassisted swim across the Strait of Georgia on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. She started at Reception Point near Sechelt and finished at Schooner Cove in Nanoose Bay, covering about 29 kilometers. The swim is notable because it may be the fastest recorded unassisted crossing, potentially beating the previous record of 9 hours 23 minutes set in 1967.
How it unfolded
- Aug 18, 2026Buggey started swimming from Reception Point near Sechelt just before 7 a.m. local time and arrived at Schooner Cove in Nanoose Bay around 3:30 p.m., completing the crossing in 8 hours 42 minutes.
- Aug 19, 2026Buggey spoke to NanaimoNewsNOW, describing her confidence and the support boat that stayed about ten meters away, throwing her food and water every 30 minutes.
- Aug 21, 2026CBC and Times Colonist reported on the feat, noting that if ratified, it would be the fastest unassisted crossing recorded by the Marathon Swimmers Federation.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- The Marathon Swimmers Federation has not yet ratified the time; if ratified, it would be the best recorded unassisted crossing.
- Athlete
- Buggey said 'No two swims will ever be the same. You've got to swim your own swim,' and noted she hadn't trained in weeks due to support boat delays.
Still unverified
The record time is pending ratification by the Marathon Swimmers Federation; the exact distance is reported as both 29 km and 28.6 km in different sources.