Dad swims Bristol Channel: Phil Warren first to cross breaststroke despite hypothermia - how did he do it?

A dad-of-two has become the first person ever to swim across the Bristol Channel using only just one swimming technique, despite suffering from severe hypothermia during the crossing.

Phil Warren, aged 52, completed three crossings of the Bristol Channel earlier this year, and in doing so became the first person to complete a crossing using only breaststroke.

He took on the challenge in a bid to raise as much money as possible for charity.

So, just how did he do it, which charity was he raising money for and how much money has he raised?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Why did Phil decide to swim across the Bristol Channel?

In 2021, Phil Warren decided to give himself the challenge of swimming all four routes across the Bristol Channel from England to Wales, and decided to do so to swim exclusively using breaststroke.

Phil said: “Last year I took on a challenge to try to swim all four routes of the Bristol channel, which range from eight miles up to 24, in one swim season which had never been done.

“[I swam] as a breaststroke swimmer - which again I knew had not been tried.”

Just one year later, he began his challenge and now he has completed it. He finished his final swim on Tuesday 20 September, despite having to miss one planned crossing due to poor weather conditions.

How did Phil complete his swimming challenge?

Phil completed his swimming challenge in different stages, beginning in June and ending in September.

Phil said: “The first one I ended up doing in June from Penarth to Weston-Super-Mare – I swam for seven and a half hours and it was supposed to be eight miles in a straight line.

“It was rough and horrible and the water temperature was only 11-degrees which was really really hard. The tide was horrendously strong to the point at the end where I was swimming against a five-knot tide and missed the land by 500 metres.

“The second one in July was from Penarth to Clevedon and I swam for seven hours and four minutes – it was rough and supposed to be 11-miles in a straight line, but I swam 14. I landed that one and became the ninth ever person to complete it and first person to complete it breaststroke.

“The third one was cancelled due to the weather and there wasn’t another slot this year.

During his most recent crossing, from Ilfracombe to Gower, Phil was in the 18-degree water for just under 22 hours and suffered from severe hypothermia. This meant that, when he finished, he had to be taken to hospital.

Phil said: “The last one was 26 miles but I ended up swimming 31. The water was 18-degrees which is quite acceptable for training but over 21 hours is pretty cold.

“I swam that and landed it, becoming the fourth ever successful crossing and first ever breaststroke crossing.

“I started at 10.30pm on 19 September from Ilfracombe harbour and swam for about nine to 10 hours in the pitch black apart from the moon which was quite scary.

“I got stung on the cheek by a jellyfish and at one point I was surrounded by dolphins swimming over, under and around me.

“I landed at about 8.30pm on the Tuesday and my crew dragged me out, changed me, looked at me and rang ahead for an ambulance because I was almost out of it at the time.

“I was blue-lighted to the hospital once we got back to the harbour with extreme exhaustion, hypothermia, and water on the lungs as well.”

What charity was Phil raising money for?

The dad-of-two chose to take on the challenge to raise money for the charity Mind due to his own battles with his mental health which left him suffering from a breakdown 10 years ago.

Two years after his breakdown, he began open water swimming and believes the activity helped him to manage his mental health.

He said: “The swim to raise funds for Mind and try to raise awareness about mental ill health especially since the pandemic.”

“I’ve been open water swimming for over the past eight years or so and I suffered from a breakdown about 10 years ago I suppose now.

“I’ve now managed to control it through medication and sport and one of the things is cold water swimming. That’s why I swim and I love the outside, I love nature, but I don’t overly like the smell of chlorine.”

How much money has Phil raised for charity?

Phil has raised over £6,000 for the charity Mind at the time of writing.

He said: “I’ve raised about £6,300 for Mind. It’s more out there now that both adults and children are suffering from mental ill health but it still needs to be talked about more and raise awareness.

You can find out more about Phil’s fundraising efforts and donate to the cause on Phil’s Swim for Mind JustGiving page.