Strait of Messina
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The Strait of Messina (Stretto di Messina in Italian, Strittu di Missina in Sicilian or the Messina Strait) is the narrow waterway between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria in southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea within the central Mediterranean Sea. At its narrowest point, it measures 3.1 km (1.9 miles) in width, though near the town of Messina the width is some 5.1 km (3.2 miles) with a maximum depth is 250 meters (830 feet).
A ferry service connects Messina on Sicily with the mainland at Villa San Giovanni, which lies several kilometers north of the large city of Reggio Calabria; the ferries hold the cars (carriages) of the mainline train service between Palermo and Naples. There is also a hydrofoil service between Messina and Reggio Calabria.
The strait is characterized by strong tidal currents, that established a unique marine ecosystem. A natural whirlpool in the Northern portion of the strait has been linked to the Greek legend of Scylla and Charybdis.
Contents
Crossings
For more information on swimming across the Strait of Messina, visit Traversata dello Stretto, the website dedicated to the annual swim race, and Baia di Grotta, the website dedicated to the history of the crossing of the Strait and to the organization of solo and group swims. It is named as one of the World's Top 100 Island Swims by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
Records
The website managed by Nino Fazio keeps record of all the official swims across the Strait from 1930 to the present day at Albo d'Oro. His son Andrea Fazio, at the age of 15, set the current single crossing record of 30 minutes 6 seconds set on 2 September 2015 that was voted as the 2015 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year in a global poll conducted by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
Carina Brewer and Ned Denison
Strait of Messina Crossing
Gaia Nadini is shown crossing the Strait of Messina, escorted by Giovanni Arena and Paolo Arena in a masters swimming competition.
External links
- Who Is More Extreme Than Bogusław Ogrodnik?
- 'Twas The Night Before Christmas In The Open Water
- 2020 WOWSA Awards – World Open Water Swimming Performance Of The Year Nominees
- WOWSA Awards – World Open Water Swimming Performance Of The Year
- Mother Nature Is a Huge Opponent
- David Smith Talking Purity Of Purpose On WOWSA Live
- Baia di Grotta
- Albo d'Oro
- Open Water - It's A Small World On A Big Planet
- Strait of Messina Records
- Striving In The Strait Of Messina
- Brutal ... Butterfly In The Open Water
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Open Water Swimming
- Marathon Swimming
- Swimming Against The Tide
- Making Memories In Messina
- Frosty The Snowman In The Open Water
- 'Twas The Night Before Christmas In The Open Water
- Twelve Days of Christmas In The Open Water
- Jingle Bells In The Open Water
- Carina Bruwer Swimming For Hope
- Anna Lominadze Ties Up A Distance Record
- Twice As Nice With Four A Charm, Carina Brewer's Swims
- The Swimlosophy By Sabrina Ápeiron
- Like Father, Like Son In The Strait Of Messina
- Andrea Fazio's Is Selected As World Performance Of The Year
- 30 Years Ago In Sicily
- Mini Channel Swimming Around The World
- Striving In The Strait Of Messina
- Sir Richard Branson Plans To Strive On
- Nino Fazio Organizing Swims In The Strait of Messina
- Sir Branson, Adrian Grenier Cross Strait Of Messina
- Bays, Islands And Straits With Pedro Ordenes
- Margarita Llorens Bagur Wins 2017 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year
- Sarah Iannello Sets Strait of Messina Record
