Ultramarathon swimmer sets record pace in 55km swim in crocodile-filled Australian river

Andy Donaldson and his team were aware of the dangers that lay ahead, but just in case a reminder was needed, a huge 2.5-metre freshwater crocodile waiting at the start ramp ahead of his longest ever solo swim put the challenge into stark focus.

Donaldson, a British-Australian ultramarathon swimmer, was about to embark on the 55km Dam to Dam Challenge from Lake Argyle to Kununurra in the East Kimberley, hoping to become the first man to complete the gruelling endurance swim.

Adding to the difficulty was the fact the Ord River in remote Western Australia is well known for its reptilian inhabitants; the freshwater crocodile population numbers 5,500 – one croc for every 10 metres of his swim.

Andy Donaldson completed the 55km-swim in under 12 hours. Photograph: Ben Broady

Fortunately for the 35-year-old, freshwater crocodiles are smaller and more timid than their saltwater counterparts – the world’s largest reptiles – and unlikely to approach humans.

Donaldson’s team had done its research beforehand and he never felt threatened by the wildlife surrounding him, which also included eagles, ospreys, kits, cormorants, darters, turtles and big catfish.

“It was a bit nerve-racking doing a swim in the open water,” Donaldson said. “There’s always a risk of wildlife. But in the same breath, people use that river every day recreationally.

“They say ‘fear is a mile wide and an inch deep’ – the perceived fear is a lot bigger than it’s actually turns out to be.

“There’s always a bit of a rush with adrenaline if you see anything when you’re in there or if you touch like some seagrass or anything, but, I didn’t actually see anything during the swim at all. It was a largely by-the-book swim.

“As always, safety comes first. We’re not putting ourselves intentionally in harm’s way. If there is anything that looks threatening, we pull the pin because we want to be smart and we want to use these challenges to share positive messages, not negativity and fear.”

Having successfully navigated the course, finishing in front of hundreds of people lining the banks of the river in Kununurra, he posted a record time of 11 hours and 51 minutes, bettering the mark set by Simone Blaser, who was the first person to complete the swim with a time of 16 hours and 13 minutes in 2024 – and was part of Donaldson’s support crew on Tuesday.