Taking on the World's Waters - Record Breaking Ultra Swims

Welcome to a conversation that goes far beyond distance, endurance, or athletic achievement.

In this episode, I’m joined by marathon swimmer Andy Donaldson, whose journey from Scotland to Australia has taken him across some of the most remarkable waterways on Earth and into a deeper mission shaped by community, environmental advocacy, and personal renewal.

What unfolds is not just a catalogue of extraordinary swims, but a powerful reflection on why water matters: how it heals, connects us, and can become a platform for meaningful change. From the serendipitous thread of the Thames Swim, linking campaigners, citizen scientists, and world-class athletes, to the vast sweep of Maui, Manhattan, and Ibiza, Andy shares how purposeful swimming has become a way to galvanise people around the urgent need to protect the places we love.

We examine the emotional and psychological aspects of endurance, the importance of preparation and resilience, and the simple truth that some of the most meaningful experiences start with a community uniting in service of something greater than themselves.

This episode is an invitation to see open water differently: as a space for adventure, advocacy, and deep human connection and as a reminder that when passionate people align around a shared cause, remarkable things can happen.

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