March 15, 2023 - It's over. Or just starting, who knows, it's up to Dina to decide. Top Split swimmer Dina Levacic swam across the Cook Strait in New Zealand and thus completed the Oceans Seven.

As Slobodna Dalmacija writes, this Croatian long-distance swimmer swam the 23-kilometer-wide Cook's Strait in New Zealand, becoming only the 23^rd person in the world and the first in Croatia to swim all seven major world marathons. The first person to swim all seven channels was Stephen Redmond in 2012, while the last was Adrian Sarchet in February 2020.

Dina Levacic's story began in 2017 when she swam the Catalina Channel in California, then the English Channel in Europe, the Moloka'i Channel in Hawaii, the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The young woman from Split announced her latest success on social media on her 27^th birthday, after 11 hours of swimming, with high waves and an ocean temperature of around 16 degrees. The Cook Strait is located between the North and South Islands in New Zealand, and due to the low temperature of the ocean and strong currents, it is considered one of the most difficult swimming challenges.

"I would be overjoyed if it happened on my birthday, but it could also happen in the next few days," the optimistic Dina Levacic said at a recent press conference. Her birthday wish ended up coming true.

"Thank you to everyone who was by my side, not only in swimming but also in education, my professional and private life. This is the success of everyone who stands behind me; I am proud that my name will stand next to 22 others who completed all seven swims. And that the Croatian flag will stand next to those who swam the Oceans Seven. Now I just need to blow out the candles on my birthday cake before midnight", said Dina Levacic.

She shared how the sea felt and what she was going through.

"Greetings to everyone after the final adventure and project that began in 2017 with the Catalina swim. Today was quite challenging, which was expected, although I was hoping for the weather to be a bit calmer, but that's how it is in this sport. Unpredictable. The waves were quite strong, and we hoped the sea would calm down during the day, but it didn't. It was merciless, but the most important thing was that I reached the South Island and touched the coast, and the main goal was fulfilled. Now I can start realizing some new projects. This is a great success and the crown of 23 years of swimming training. All the sacrifice, work, and effort paid off. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way.

She still wants to swim...

"From Vis to Split, I hope that I will finally succeed," she announced at the press conference before leaving for New Zealand.

Dina's Oceans Seven

2017 - Catalina Channel in California

On August 3, 2017, Dina Levacic became the first person from Croatia to swim the 34 km long Catalina channel. She swam from Catalina Island to Los Angeles. The start was at night, at 11 pm local time. Dina crossed the finish line after 9 hours and 47 minutes, reaching the beach below the Trump National Golf Club.

2017 - The La Manche

Dina swam 45 kilometers in 11 hours and 42 minutes. The main challenge was beating herself, to spend a long time in the icy water with a temperature of 16.5 degrees. Although the channel is 34 kilometers wide in its narrowest part, more swimming is needed due to unfavorable conditions.

2018 - Moloka'i Channel in Hawaii

The Moloka'i channel in Hawaii is 42 kilometers long. The weather conditions for swimming the channel were far from ideal, a strong wind with gusts of 50 km/h, high waves that made swimming even more difficult, and even a jellyfish that burned her badly. However, none of these was an insurmountable obstacle, and this marathon lasted 13 hours.

2019 - Tsugaru Strait in Japan

Tsugaru in Japan is located between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido and connects the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Dina started at midnight local time and swam almost 31 kilometers to Hokkaido in seven hours, 13 minutes, and 15 seconds.

2022 - Strait of Gibraltar

In 2022, this was Dina Levacic's fastest swim of 15.3 kilometers that, separate Europe from Africa, that is, Spain from Morocco. A total of 84 male and female swimmers swam across Gibraltar last year, and Dina swam across it on June 18 in just 3 hours and 3 minutes.

2022 - The North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland

Dina Levacic became the first person from Croatia to swim the 34-kilometer-wide North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland; it took her 10 hours, 26 minutes, and 58 seconds.

2023 - The Cook Strait in New Zealand

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Sport section.

August 6, 2021 - Marathon swimmer Dina Levačić will embark on a new humanitarian swimming journey from Vir to Ist to raise funds for the KBC Department of Neonatology.

While the COVID-19 situation has made things a bit more difficult, marathon swimmer Dina Levačić has not taken time to rest. In ten days, on August 13 or 14, Dina will swim a humanitarian marathon from the island of Vir to Ist - a 27-kilometer stretch. In cooperation with the Split Fire Brigade, the action 'Heart for Little Heroes' was launched to help the Split Clinical Hospital Center's Department of Neonatology purchase a special device, reports Dalmatinski Portal. 

"For me, this season is marked by the coronavirus, just like it is for most athletes. Poljud has always been open to me. I trained without major problems. I had planned to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar, but Spain and Morocco are not in the best situation. I hope that the possibility for that will open by October," said Levačić, and then revealed her latest goal.

"Next weekend I will swim from Vir to Ist. My late grandfather Stipe is from the island of Ist. It is a place where I learned to swim, fell in love with the sea, jumped into the depths for the first time without fear. It is an island that deserves to swim in the world's oceans without fear."

She also revealed plans for the future.

"I hope to swim Gibraltar, even if they let me know two days before. New Zealand, one of the big seven, is also planned. I've been waiting for years for my turn. I don’t know what it will be because New Zealand is closed to everyone except Australia, and it won’t open until the New Year. So I should be swimming in February or March of next year when it is summer there. I hope that their authorities will give in and that I will be able to get there."

She follows the Olympic Games in great detail.

"It’s the only opportunity to see some sports that I don’t have a chance to watch. I know Tonči Stipanović personally. I know how humble he is and how much he lives for sailing. I am thrilled for him, but also all the other athletes. When I watch videos on Facebook, I cry. When you are an athlete, you know how much effort has been put in and how heavy that medal is. Sandra Perković was fourth. Many ‘couch experts’ will say it is a failure, but many would give a hand for such a result. I am glad to see the success of any Croatian athlete."

On behalf of the Split Fire Brigade, Mateo Štrljić revealed how the idea for this humanitarian action was born.

"We came up with the idea to organize a humanitarian action at the fire station. A lot of us went through that department with our kids, and so the idea came to life. We got in touch with Dr. Marija Bucat and found that they need a device for nitric oxide therapy, which makes breathing easier for newborns. Such a device exists in pediatrics, but it is needed immediately after childbirth. The device costs 250,000, and we achieved two-thirds of that amount through various donations. We are grateful that Dina also got involved in the action. We hope to collect the requested amount."

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, Aug 12, 2020 - Croatia's long-distance swimmer Dina Levacic (24) on Tuesday failed to swim the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland due to extremely difficult conditions, ending her endeavor five kilometers before the finish.

Earlier this year Levacic told a news conference that she would try to conquer the 34-kilometer-long North Channel between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland in the period between 10 and 16 August.

After 11 hours of swimming and 38 kilometers, five kilometers before the finish, the crew decided that I should get out of the water, said Levacic.

Levacic has already swum four of the Oceans Seven, a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims.

Croatia's best long-distance swimmer has to date conquered the 30-kilometer Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido as well as the Catalina Channel, the English Channel and the Molokai Channel before that.

July 9, 2020 - Croatian long-distance swimmer Dina Levacic, 24, announced on Wednesday that she intends to swim the 15-kilometer-long Gibraltar Strait between Spain and Morocco and the 34-kilometer-long North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland between August 10 and 21 this year.

"I have prepared well for these swimming marathons, I will do my best to succeed and I have no fear," Levacic said at a press conference in Split, as reported by Net.hr.  

According to Dina, the preparations were cruel, especially for swimming in the North Channel, because it is one of the most demanding swimming marathons in the world.

"Strong sea currents and big waves are waiting for me in the Gibraltar Strait, but I believe that it will not create any difficulties for me. The North Channel is extremely demanding because, in addition to strong sea currents and jellyfish, the sea is very cold. But my preparations were harsh, I trained in the Adriatic Sea when the water temperature was 12 degrees and the air temperature was only five degrees. In addition, I trained on Peruca Lake and the rivers Cetina, Krka, Jadro and Zrmanja," explained Levacic.

The coronavirus pandemic is creating some difficulties, so Dina will have to swim these marathons, as she put it, “a little blindly,” because the borders of Morocco, where she is supposed to swim across Gibraltar, are closed.

She hopes that this will be resolved because when she enters Morocco, she will not have contact with anyone. She also said that currently in Northern Ireland, from which the North Channel is to be crossed, a 14-day quarantine is still valid for foreigners coming to that country, but she believes that this problem will be overcome as well.

The planned crossings of the Gibraltar Strait and the North Channel are the 5th and 6th stations of Dina's "Big Seven Marathons" project.

So far, she has swum the Catalina Pass in California, the English Channel in Europe, the Molokaʻa in Hawaii and Tsugar in Japan.

After the Gibraltar Strait and the North Channel, only the 26-kilometer-long Cook Pass, which connects the North and South Islands of New Zealand, will remain for her to swim.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

August 19, 2019 - Another swimming success for Dina Levačić! 

In 7 hours, 13 minutes and 15 seconds, 23-year-old Solin native Dina Levačić completed the Tsugaru Strait to complete the fourth open water channel swim out of the seven in the 'Oceans Seven' challenge. The channel is located between Japan's largest island, Honshu and Hokkaido, and high waves and strong frontal wind accompanied the Croatian swimmer the entire way.

The member of the Split Swimming Club set one of her best times and became only the 67th person to complete the Tsugaru Strait. 

"For my Dixie and all the animals waiting for their home," Dina said after her great success. 

The ‘Ocean Seven’ is a series of seven international swimming marathons, modeled after the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge. Dina Levačić had already swum three marathon channels from the ‘Ocean Seven’ series before attempting the Tsugaru: Catalina Channel, English Channel (La Manche) and Moloka’i Channel. After the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, Dina will still need to overcome the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, the Strait of Gibraltar between Europe and Africa and the Cook Strait in New Zealand.

Dina Levačić is an open swimming champion and member of the long-distance swimming club in Split. She first recorded impressive results at her Argentine tour at the age of 17, placing fourth in the Rosario marathon and securing sixth place in the 57-kilometer marathon from Santa Fe to Coronda. This Argentine trifecta was the longest open-swimming marathon in the world, following an 88-kilometer route. Dina finished in less than 10.5 hours, and placed 5th overall, less than an hour after the winner of the competition.

Dina then accepted the marathon challenge of her career - the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. It began with the Marathon Island Marathon Swim, which saw the Split native swim 48.5 km in 7:33:50. Dina then tackled the Catalina Channel, where she swam 32.5 km in 9:47:53. The infamous part of the Triple Crown, however, was the English Channel - a 33.7 km stretch between England and France. Dina completed the challenge in 11 hours and 42 minutes and thus became the first Croatian female athlete to swim the La Manche in its entirety, and the first Croatian athlete to complete the Triple Crown. Not to mention that Dina is also the sixth athlete in history to have completed the Triple Crown in under 90 days. 

Last August, Dina conquered the 42-kilometer long Molokai channel, from Molokai Island to Oahu Island, Hawaii, in 13 hours. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

Croatia’s famous long-distance swimmer Dina Levačić has announced that her next challenge is the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, one of the seven channels in the world every endurance swimmer seeks to complete.

This will be Dina’s fourth swimming marathon out of the seven major international swimming marathons she intends to complete in her career, reports Dalmacija Danas on August 9, 2019.

Due to respiratory problems at the end of July, Levačić had to give up her second attempt to swim the 54 kilometer trip from Vis to Split, though it didn’t take long for her to announce her next world venture.

“At the end of August this year, I am leaving to swim the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, which is considered one of the hardest swimming marathons in the world because of the strong currents. This will be a big challenge for me because there are tuna and sea snakes in that channel, but it is not life-threatening,” said the 23-year-old from Solin, emphasizing that the Tsugaru Strait is 30 kilometers long and that only 30 swimmers have managed to swim it so far.

The ‘Ocean Seven’ is a series of seven international swimming marathons, modeled after the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge. Dina Levačić has already swum three marathon channels from the ‘Ocean Seven’ series: Catalina Channel, English Channel (La Manche) and Moloka’i Channel. After the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, Dina will still need to overcome the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, the Strait of Gibraltar between Europe and Africa and the Cook Strait in New Zealand.

Dina Levačić is an open swimming champion and member of the long-distance swimming club in Split. She first recorded impressive results at her Argentine tour at the age of 17, placing fourth in the Rosario marathon and securing sixth place in the 57-kilometer marathon from Santa Fe to Coronda. This Argentine trifecta was the longest open-swimming marathon in the world, following an 88-kilometer route. Dina finished in less than 10.5 hours, and placed 5th overall, less than an hour after the winner of the competition.

Dina then accepted the marathon challenge of her career - the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. It began with the Marathon Island Marathon Swim, which saw the Split native swim 48.5 km in 7:33:50. Dina then tackled the Catalina Channel, where she swam 32.5 km in 9:47:53. The infamous part of the Triple Crown, however, was the English Channel - a 33.7 km stretch between England and France. Dina completed the challenge in 11 hours and 42 minutes and thus became the first Croatian female athlete to swim the La Manche in its entirety, and the first Croatian athlete to complete the Triple Crown. Not to mention that Dina is also the sixth athlete in history to have completed the Triple Crown in under 90 days. 

Last August, Dina conquered the 42-kilometer long Molokai channel, from Molokai Island to Oahu Island, Hawaii, in 13 hours. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, February 25, 2019 - Croatia's long-distance swimmer Dina Levačić has recently announced her plans for this summer which include her second attempt to swim the length of 54 kilometres from the Adriatic island of Vis to her city of Split and the 30-kilometre Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido.

The 23-year-old Levačić, who is the first Croatian female swimmer to conquer the English Channel, is going to swim in July from the island of Vis to Split. Last July, she almost accomplished this feat but had to give up three kilometres before the finish line.

In August she is going to accomplish the Tsugaru swim, one of the Oceans Seven challenges.

In 2017, she managed to conquer within 90 days the three historically important swims known as the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

In September that year, Levačić completed the swim across the English Channel in 11 hours and 42 minutes, and thus completed the Triple Crown. This best Croatian female marathon swimmer was before that the first Croatian to ever complete a 48.5 km circumnavigation of Manhattan Island. She swam the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim on 25 June 2017, and the Catalina Channel, 32.5 km between Catalina Island and the California mainland, on 3 August that year.

Furthermore, in 2018 she also accomplished the Molokai Channel swim, also one of the Oceans Seven targets.

The Oceans Seven is a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims. It was proposed in 2008 as the swimming equivalent of the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge. It includes the North Channel, the Cook Strait, the Molokai Channel, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of Gibraltar.

More sports news can be found in our dedicated section.

Solin’s new promotional video was presented at the City Council session held at the Hotel President. 

The Split long-distance swimmer and the first ever Croatian to cross the La Manche has achieved yet another incredible success. Dina Levačić has conquered the 42-kilometer long Molokai channel.

But could they keep up?