John Curley

43-year-old John Curley of Ireland en route to completing The Toughest Thirteen after completing the Round-Trip Angel Island with Clare O'Connor piloting in August 2025

John Charles Curley with coach - pilot Ger Kennedy of Ireland before his Monterey Bay crossing in California

John Charles Curley (born 17 April 1982) is a 43-year-old Irish open water swimmer from Dublin.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

• On 1 January 2026, he completed a 16.349 km swim from Isla K'oa to the Inca Steps on Yumani on the Isla del Sol on the Bolivian side of Lago Titicaca in 5 hours 43 minutes 38 seconds.
• In July 2024, he completed the Irish Grand Slam of Open Water Swimming at the age of 42.
• He completed completed a 21 km SwimÖresund between Denmark and Sweden in 7 hours 4 minutes 20 seconds on 17 June 2023.
• On 3 October 2022, he completed a 40.3 km Monterey Bay crossing in 14 hours 52 minutes 55 seconds from Santa Cruz to Pacific Grove in California, the 10th person in history to complete the crossing at the age of 40.
• On 15 June 2023, he completed a 19 km Beltquerung across the Fehmarnbelt in the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Germany in 7 hours 35 minutes.
• On 24 July 2023, he completed a 26.2 km Bristol Channel crossing from Wales to England in 10 hours 55 minutes 36 seconds.
• On 9 September 2023, he completed a 35 km crossing of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 13 hours 8 minutes 40 seconds.
• On 21 January 2024, he completed a 34 km Derwent River Big Swim in Tasmania, Australia on 21 January 2024 in 8 hours 52 minutes 56 seconds at the age of 41.
• On 13 July 2024, he completed a 20.2 km Dál Riata Channel crossing between Mull of Kintyre and Torr Head in Northern Ireland in 10 hours 45 minutes 38 seconds at the age of 42, escorted by pilot Ger Kennedy, observed by Nicola Doran and crewed by Sarah Louise Brown.
• In June 2024, he completed a 19.1 km Fastnet Rock Swim from the Fastnet Lighthouse to Baltimore in 6 hours 55 minutes.
• On 1 January 2025, he completed a 32.7 km crossing of False Bay from Miller's Point to Rooi Els in South Africa in 10 hours 37 minutes 31 seconds with support crew member Linda Clarke and escort pilot Roger Finch, under the guidance of coach Ger Kennedy.
• On 1 January 2025, he completed the NEWS Swim Series on with crossings listed above:Monterey Bay, North Channel, Derwent River Big Swim, and False Bay.
• On 17 January 2025, he completed a 28.6 km crossing of the Foveaux Strait from Stewart Island to South Island in New Zealand with escort pilot Philip Rush in 11 hours 11 minutes 8 seconds.
• On 16 June 2025, he completed a 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France.
• In September 2025, he completed a 16.1 km Round-Trip Angel Island between Aquatic Park and Angel Island in San Francisco Bay in California, USA in 6 hours 36 minutes 43 seconds, escorted by Clare O’Connor.
• On 2 September 2025, he crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the state of Washington in the USA to British Columbia in Canada in 8 hours 13 minutes 16.07 seconds at the age of 43, escorted by Andrew Malinak and coached by Ger Kennedy in the average 11°C water.

External links

• The New Viking Triple Crown Offers A Nordic Challenge
• John Charles Curley Goes High to Get Closer to The Toughest Thirteen - 10 Down, 3 To Go
• John Curley Getting Closer To The Toughest Thirteen
• What Comes Around, Goes Around: Linda Clarke Completes A False Bay Crossing
• Andrew Packer, John Curley En Route To The Toughest Thirteen
• Marathon Swimmers Federation bio
• John-Charles Curley, Andrew Packer Go 1-2 In The Irish Grand Slam
• John Curley Challenges Himself Off The Beaten Path
• Marathon Swimmers Federation bio
• SwimÖresund
• SwimÖresund Launches new Channel Crossing from Denmark to Sweden
• Dál Riata Channel Crossings by Marathon Swimmers Federation
• Tara Grout, Julie Boxsell et al Do Big Swims in Derwent River
• Ger Kennedy + Team versus Cath Pendleton + Team in a January English Channel Duel
• John Curley Crosses Monterey Bay In California
• John C. Curley Facebook page