Islas Desertas and back again: a 60km swim through the Atlantic Ocean

We spoke with Mayra Santos shortly after she completed this epic marathon swim

At midnight on 30 July 2024, Mayra Santos set out from Santa Cruz in Madeira and swam towards the Islas Desertas, 30km away. Just under 10 hours later, she touched land, turned around and swam another 30km back again. The return leg took an hour longer, giving her a total swim time of 20 hours, 53 minutes and 36 seconds. The water temperature ranged from 22.8 to 24 degrees Celsius (73 to 75 Fahrenheit). Mayra completed the swim under World Open Water Swimming Association rules for an unassisted multi-leg marathon swim.

What inspired you to take on this incredible swim?

My first and primary goal is the promotion of my adventure swimming business, SwimMadeira, alongside one of the WOWSA Certified Events from SwimMadeira. Secondly, the swim served as part of my preparation for my next challenge. I’m training to beat Chloë McCardel’s record of 124.4km for the longest swim distance in the ocean. Last but not least, I also want to create awareness of the ecological dimension of Desertas, a nature reserve and home of the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus). Besides that, creating awareness for the protection and preservation of the oceans is another big goal of mine.

What was your longest swim before this?

My longest open water swim was 40 Bridges Manhattan, 57 miles (92 Km). However, I also have a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous swim in a counter-current pool: 31hrs and 7 minutes.

What did you expect the hardest part of this swim would be?

Right from the get go, I was expecting the second leg to be the hardest, as it would be against the current all the time. Just to give you some context, locals were saying that it was not possible to do it, and some of them went as far as saying that I was crazy.

Did you have any low moments in the swim when you thought you might not make it? How did you cope with those?

There was a moment when my body started to give me signs that made me think I could not make it: nausea, ringing in my ears and actually vomiting. In addition, my pace dropped as the current was strongly against me. The waves and the wind were also relentless, making the swim not only a big challenge to me but also to my support team on the boats.

The support of João Duarte (my husband) was paramount, with words of encouragement most of the time, and a harsh reality check when I was dropping the pace beyond the expected and the possibility of not making it became apparent. I had to find the last strength deep inside of me, and then some more that I didn’t know existed. My thoughts were with all the people who support and follow my story.

I knew then that I only had one possibility, one outcome, and it was to finish what I started.

Did you encounter any wildlife in the ocean?

A group of pilot whales passed us but I did not see them in the water. However,  I certainly heard them as they were close, and my team on the boats saw them.

What was your favourite part of the swim?

My favourite part of the swim was, without any doubt, the arrival in Santa Cruz. The amount of support that I received from all the people that were waiting for me, was beyond anything I imagined and expected. I felt the love in every cheer and scream that I could hear. It was overwhelming to the senses, and all these emotions eclipsed all the pain and exhaustion that I was feeling at that moment. The adrenaline of the arrival was like nothing I had experienced before.

Find out more:

See Mayra’s GPS track of the swim: https://track.rs/mayrasantos/

Visit SwimMadeira: www.swimmadeira.com