Josef Köberl becomes first Austrian to swim Tsugaru Strait

Styrian swimmer Josef Köberl has become the first Austrian to swim across Japan’s Tsugaru Strait, ORF reported. He reached Hokkaido after 10 hours and 25 minutes in the water, covering 48 kilometres.

The crossing means Köberl has now completed six of the seven Ocean’s Seven swims: the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar, Cook Strait, the North Channel, the Catalina Channel and the Tsugaru Strait.

Only the Kaiwi Channel between Molokai and Oahu in Hawaii remains. Köberl said he was proud to have completed the difficult crossing but that the Tsugaru Strait had demanded everything from him physically.

Strong winds, waves and complex currents repeatedly prevented him from starting. Local captains gave the go-ahead on September 2, and Köberl began swimming from Honshu towards Hokkaido at 3:35 a.m. local time, on the final day of his start window.

He said the captain had found an exceptionally good route through the strait.

The Japan crossing follows an intense period for Köberl. In August, he completed the Catalina Channel in California and also swam in San Francisco Bay during the Escape from Alcatraz event.

He plans to attempt the Kaiwi Channel in 2027, but said he wanted to enjoy the latest achievement before thinking too much about the final swim.