Reflection on the experience
Buoyed by having successfully completed the 10 km SwimGP crossing from Oeiras to Cascais last July, on August 1st I embarked with my Swim4fun group, along with Joana Paz and Mayra Gabriela, on the challenging swim between Faial and Pico, in the Azores. The goal was to cross that mythical channel as a group – a new feature introduced by the organizers this year – but we ended up less than a mile from the coast of Pico when we reached the cut-off fter 4 hours, and we were ‘invited to leave the water’ due to the strong current and swell that were present that day.
Fig.1 – Our team from left to right: Mayra, Joana, and me. Maria on the right attempted it solo.
Although we were unable to complete the crossing within the time limit, the experience turned out to be incredibly rich in lessons that I consider important to share, both for those planning to face similar challenges and for those who believe in the value of adventure sports as a path to self-discovery.
Lessons Learned
1. A força do coletivo não substitui a estratégia individual
Swimming in open water, especially under adverse conditions like the ones we faced, requires more than physical endurance or refined technique. Strategic planning becomes essential, particularly when swimming in a group. When dealing with currents and waves, the group’s coordination and shared decision-making — such as when to stop for feeding or adjust the pace — are crucial. I feel that we ultimately had a poorly thought-out collective strategy, and this compromised both time and efficiency, no matter how strong the team may be.
2. O skipper é parte da equipa — não apenas o condutor do barco
One of the great lessons was realizing that the skipper should not be seen merely as the person in charge of the support boat. Involving the skipper from the planning stages is essential, as their knowledge of the sea and the rules can be decisive in adapting the strategy to the actual conditions on the day of the crossing. Since this was our first crossing, we were assigned a skipper by the organization — all of whom are volunteers — but we didn’t know each other and had no time to build that connection.
Fig. 2 – Route taken solo by our friend Alexandre Sequeira in 2024
Fig. 3 – Route taken by our team (Strava) vs. ideal route (8 km) vs. recommended route
3. Homogeneidade de ritmos importa
When the group has very different paces, endurance levels, and goals, progress becomes slower and more draining. The heterogeneity forces constant micro-decisions and makes it difficult to maintain an effective pace, which can harm the overall performance and team morale. This is what ended up happening, because in our group we have different paces, mainly due to very different training routines: Mayra and Joana train open water ogether on Wednesdays, and I train on Sundays, which didn’t allow us to have more than one or two joint training sessions, which proved to be insufficient.
4. As pausas contam — e muito
During the crossing, the interval of each hydration stop was long, because the complexity increases when swimming as a team, resulting in breaks in rhythm. The persistent current made progress very difficult, as can be seen in the route recorded on Strava; at each refueling stop, the group was pushed several dozen meters toward the open ocean. Ideally, breaks should occur every 40–50 minutes, with a rotating support management to minimize idle time and maximize efficiency, and with one person on the boat dedicated to that task, since the skipper has a mission: to pilot the vessel.
5. Checkpoints ajudam a gerir o tempo — não só a distância
Setting clear time goals for each stage would have made it easier to assess our progress. With well-defined time checkpoints, it would have been possible to anticipate potential delays and adjust the strategy in a timely manner, avoiding unpleasant surprises near the end, when we pushed hard even though it was already clear we wouldn’t make it within the cutoff. This would only have been possible with a second person on the boat, alongside the skipper, dedicated to this task.
6. Preparação alimentar e física
The preparation in the days leading up to the crossing, with special attention to nutrition and hydration, was exemplary. We felt physically and mentally prepared, which shows that the foundation was solid. However, it became clear that on the day itself it is essential to fine-tune the nutrition plan to respond to the unexpected conditions of the sea
7. Faltou espírito de grupo entre as equipas
Apesar do bom ambiente dentro do nosso barco, notou-se uma certa distância entre as várias equipas participantes, quase um grupo de desconhecidos. Uma travessia deste género é também uma celebração do espírito de camaradagem e superação coletiva. Teria sido enriquecedor um maior incentivo da organização ao convívio prévio e partilha entre todos os nadadores – o que também não nos iliba de não termos participado no convívio pós-prova.
8. A importância do descanso adequado
I tend not to sleep very well before important events, and of course that was also the case this time. We stayed at a friend’s house, and the room had no blinds and was literally right next to the road — the result was a sleepless night. Once, at a race, a friend told me something that reassured me: a poorly slept night before the event doesn’t negatively affect performance, provided we have trained adequately beforehand — which, obviously, was not the case this time.
9. Recuperar adequadamente de lesões e mazelas
I decided to do the event with a shoulder injury, a tendinopathy that is not yet fully healed. I battled the pain throughout the 4-hour event. Joana was also coming off a recent ankle surgery. Undertaking an event of this nature and intensity should be done only once recovery is fully stabilized. It’s hard to internalize, but we must respect the limits of the body.
10. Reservar espaço para o debriefing a sério
On the day itself, after the event, we still had some time to talk once we arrived at Faial. But the truth is that we were so tired and discouraged that we didn’t have much opportunity to do so. Here, it’s worth scheduling a debriefing session in advance, perhaps even with other athletes, at the end of the day or the following day, to hold an almost therapeutic session about what went well, what went wrong and we want to stop doing, and what we would like to start doing for a future event of the same kind.
Fig. 4 – My face showing total exhaustion and disappointment. Mayra still had the energy to smile at the camera.
Conclusion
Swimming across the Faial-Pico channel was, above all, a learning experience. Success is not always measured by reaching the finish line, but by what is gained from the journey, especially since, as far as we could tell, only one team completed the event successfully. Personally, I come away from this crossing with increased respect for the sea, for the importance of strategy, for the value of the team, and for the power of small decisions. May these lessons serve as inspiration and guidance for future challenges — both mine and for anyone reading this account.
Our team had a very rushed participation; we traveled the day before and returned the same day, due to family reasons and everyone’s schedules. But an event like this deserves that we be more generous with ourselves, so we can better enjoy the pre- and post-race moments, attend the social gatherings and award ceremonies, and take the opportunity to get to know those beautiful islands better — and perhaps even make a climb up Pico.
And of course, the most positive part was that we came away with a story to tell. On the plane back to Lisbon, I sat next to a woman and her granddaughter, and she told me that she remembered how, almost 60 years ago, another swimmer had accomplished this ‘feat.
The Spanish have a saying that I find particularly fitting, which goes"La montaña no se mueve.” and it’s fair to say that Pico will still be there for anyone who wants to reach it by swimming, solo or as a team!
Fig. 5 – Photograph taken from the balcony of our apartment, with the channel and Pico in the background
André Marquet