A ROEDEAN student who was scared of the ocean has set up a series of ultra seaswim challenges that include braving shark-infested waters.
18-year-old Finya Lang, who is currently sitting her A level exam papers, will attempt to swim solo across the English Channel in early September and then take on the Catalina Channel in late October, which is a 32.5 km swim from Catalina Island to mainland California, known for the Great Whites that inhabit it.
Finya was taken swimming by mum Gabi from just two months old and has been a swim club member through her childhood. But as she got older, she decided she did not enjoy competitive swimming and in 2023 she joined Roedean where there is a seaswimming club which presented her with the chance to overcome her fear.
Explained Finya: “I was scared of the sea but I knew that the school planned to create an English Channel relay team for 2025. It was totally daunting but I took on the challenge. Then I found myself really looking forward to those early morning sea swims when we were training. Step by step I grew more confident. I qualified for the cross Channel team in 2024 but unfortunately our attempt had to be aborted after eight hours because of poor conditions. I found the whole experience exhilarating and was determined to get to swim to France. I tried out for the MENCAP Marvel relay team crossing in 2025 and we successfully crossed the Channel twice last summer. It was whilst training with them that my mentor, my captain and the incredibly supportive channel swimming community inspired me to step up to the challenge of a solo. The plan seemed to grow from there!”
She added: “The Catalina Channel starts around 10pm so you can get to shore before the following afternoon’s wind comes in. As opposed to the English Channel, there are no spotlights on the boat as they attract sharks. Swimmers have red lights as the sharks can’t see them. Each swim has its own unique challenges – for this one I will definitely have to call upon all my mental resilience!”
Finya prepped herself for her big sea swims by completing the 15km Bonifacio Strait course from Corsica to Sardinia eight months ago and has been training hard for her two crossings to come – plus she will swim the length of Lake Windermere in late July and the 20 Bridges New York challenge, a 45.9 km marathon circumnavigation of Manhattan Island, in early October.
She added: “Now the long swims have become opportunities for my brain to quieten down, where no-one places demands on me and where somehow I lose sense of time.”
Roedean deputy head Dr Ross Barrand said the school was incredibly proud of Finya, adding: “It is fantastic that Finya came to Roedean and turned her fear of the ocean into a love of seaswimming. And to take that even further by completing these amazing challenges shows incredible strength of character and resilience.”
Categories: Roedean School School News
