Round Bermuda Swim

Dr. Sean O'Connell set off on the world's first island circumnatation around Bermuda as documented by the Guinness Book of World Records

Shark Bait: How I Battled Tides, Fins and Fatigue to Complete the First Non-stop Swim Around Bermuda is an autobiography about Dr. Seán O’Connell and his Round Bermuda Swim that was nominated for the 2017 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year, part of the WOWSA Awards, an annual recognition of outstanding men, women, performances and offerings around the globe sponsored by the World Open Water Swimming Association

The Round Bermuda Swim is a solo 37.5-mile (60.3 km) circumnavigation of Bermuda.

Pioneering Round Bermuda Swim

Dr. Sean O’Connell, a lecturer in mathematics at Bermuda College and a member of the 24-hour club, completed a 43 hour 27 minute, 37.5-mile (60.3 km) circumnavigation of Bermuda (Round Bermuda Swim) on 20-22 August 1976 that helped raise money for the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association.

Island Circumnatations

• Dr. O'Connell first attempted the swim in July 1976, but aborted after 35 hours. The first attempt started just opposite the main hotel entrance to Elbow Beach.
• In his second attempt that was ultimately successful, he started and finished at a marker just outside of Ely Harbor by Robinson’s Marine.

Publications

• His pioneering swim was documented in Captain Tim Johnson's History of Open-Water Marathon Swimming, an authoritative book on marathon swimming, and inspired the Round-The-Island Relay Swim in Bermuda on its 30th anniversary in 1976. The swim was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records 1978 UK edition under “island circumnatation”.
• His feat was also noted in Sports Illustrated's 25 October 1976 issue on page 111 in the Faces in the Crowd section.
• Shark Bait: How I Battled Tides, Fins and Fatigue to Complete the First Non-stop Swim Around Bermuda is an autobiographical story by Dr. Seán O’Connell about his unprecedented Round Bermuda Swim in 1976. The 116-page account details the then-33-year-old’s months of preparation, a failed attempt, and his grueling 43 hour 27 minute 38-mile circumnavigation swim that raised $11,000 for charity.

2017 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nominees

Shark Bait was nominated for the 2017 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year by the World Open Water Swimming Association:

External links

• Sean O'Connell's 30th Anniversary
• Anniversary Charity Swim
• Swimming All Day And Night
• Updated 24-Hour Club
• Vindicated: Lecturer's name cleared after long and ugly race row
• 24-hour Club…Swimming All Day And Night
• Whose Record Will Chloë McCardel Break?
• The World's First Island Circumnatation
• Round The Island Theme Achieved
• A Swim Soon Not Forgotten
• Fernanda Varga's Round Bermuda Swim
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Open Water Swimming
• Olympic 10K Marathon Swim round-up
• Marathon Swimming
• Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
• Daily News of Open Water Swimming
• Dreaming Big, Reaching For The Stars Around Bermuda