Andy Donaldson set a record pace on Tuesday after completing a 55km “dam to dam” swim along Western Australia’s Ord River in 11 hours and 51 minutes, becoming the fastest person to cover the route and the first man to do so. The Scotland-born, Perth-based swimmer began his attempt at 5:38am local time on April 28, setting off from Lake Argyle and heading downstream towards Kununurra, navigating a river system known for its wildlife and remote terrain. The distance, 55 kilometers (34.18 miles), made it the longest solo swim challenge of his career. Donaldson finished in front of hundreds of spectators gathered along the riverbanks in Kununurra, surpassing the previous benchmark set by Simone Blaser, who completed the same route in 16 hours and 13 minutes in 2024 and was part of his support crew during this attempt.
A record swim through a river with 5,500 crocodiles
The Ord River, located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, is home to an estimated 5,500 freshwater crocodiles, roughly one for every 10 meters of Donaldson’s swim. At the starting ramp, a 2.5-metre freshwater crocodile served as an immediate reminder of the environment he was entering. Despite that, Donaldson and his team had studied the conditions closely before the attempt and did not consider the wildlife an active threat during the swim. Freshwater crocodiles, while present in large numbers, are generally smaller and more timid than saltwater crocodiles and are unlikely to approach humans. Alongside them, Donaldson encountered a river ecosystem that included eagles, ospreys, kites, cormorants, darters, turtles and large catfish.“It was a bit nerve-racking doing a swim in the open water,” Donaldson told The Guardian. “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 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 some seagrass or anything, but I didn’t actually see anything during the swim at all. It was a largely by-the-book swim.” He added: “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.”
Conditions, fatigue and the challenge of freshwater swimming
Donaldson built a steady pace in the early stages after starting in darkness, but conditions became more demanding as the day progressed. Temperatures in the Kimberley region rose to around 34°C, with support boats attempting to provide shade as he continued downstream. The nature of freshwater swimming added another layer of difficulty, as the lack of salt reduces buoyancy compared to ocean conditions. “Especially when you start to fatigue, your hips drop and your body position isn’t as good, so you feel like you’re dragging the legs a lot more,” he said. An unexpected headwind and a stretch of “dead water”, where there is no assisting current, slowed sections of the swim, but Donaldson reached Swim Beach, approximately 6km from Kununurra, by 5:29pm before completing the final stretch. As he approached the finish, local swimmers joined him in the water for the last 200 metres.
A long-term target completed in his home state
Donaldson had described the challenge beforehand as one he had been targeting for some time, particularly because it took place in Western Australia, where he is now based.“It’s a challenge I’ve had my sights set on for a while, and to take something on here in my home state of Western Australia makes it even more special,” Donaldson said in an Instagram post on Monday, April 27, prior to the swim. After finishing, he described the setting and experience in detail. “It was just magical, swimming through these ancient gorges, the red cliffs, the sunrise was just spectacular out there,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to swim in amazing places all around the world, like Hawaii, Greece and Croatia. But I would have to say, hands down, this is the best swim I’ve ever done. It’s the most beautiful place for swimming I’ve ever experienced. It was just incredible.” Donaldson told 10 News Perth.
Career context and previous records
Donaldson, 35, is considered one of the leading figures in ultramarathon swimming and already holds multiple world records. In 2023, he became the first person to complete the Ocean’s Seven, a series of seven major ocean channel swims — within a single year. During that campaign, he also set records for the fastest overall completion time at 355 days, the fastest cumulative swim time at 63 hours and two minutes, and the fastest crossing of the Cook Strait (which connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean) in four hours and 33 minutes. This Ord River swim adds another record to that list, achieved in a setting that combined endurance demands with environmental risk. Reflecting on the effort, Donaldson emphasized the role of his team throughout the attempt. “These challenges, they’re never achieved alone,” he said. “You always have a skipper, a paddler and your coach out there in the water, people that know the river systems well so that you’re in safe hands, you can navigate those challenging sections. “The team, the energy and the encouragement pick you up when you start to falter. These marathons are similar to the marathons of life where, if you want to pursue something, a dream, or go after big goals, you can go a lot further when you have great people around you.”
