Indian Swimmers Complete Rare California Catalina Channel Double Crossing
India-West News Desk
LOS ANGELES, CA – An Indian Masters swimming team from Bengaluru has completed a rare double crossing of the Catalina Channel off Southern California, becoming, subject to final ratification, the first Asian team to accomplish the feat.
The six-member SwimLife Orcas completed the two-way crossing in 29 hours and 24 minutes from September 10 to 11. According to the team’s expedition report, it was only the 12th successful double crossing of the Catalina Channel since 1991.
The achievement brought the swimmers to the attention of India’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, who met with the team and its coach following their return. He congratulated the swimmers on what he described as a display of endurance, discipline, mental resilience and teamwork.
He also noted with pride that the team also raised the Indian Tricolor on the Southern California shore after completing the demanding open-water challenge.
The Catalina Channel stretches roughly 32 kilometers between Santa Catalina Island and the Southern California mainland, but the actual swimming distance can be considerably greater because of currents, winds and ocean swells. The swimmers faced cold water, changing sea conditions and fatigue, with much of the return crossing taking place during a new-moon night in near-total darkness.
The relay began from the mainland at 8:17 a.m. September 10. After completing the first leg shortly after midnight, the swimmers immediately began the return crossing. Under Catalina Channel Swimming Federation rules, they swam in one-hour rotations, with the expedition monitored by official observers. By the end of the crossing, each swimmer had spent five hours in the ocean.
The team was led by coach Satish Kumar Mohan, 49, founder of SwimLife Academy, vice president of the Swimming Federation of India and secretary of the Karnataka Swimming Association.
The swimmers were Meghana Mayya, 48, senior director of technology at Lowe’s India; Varuna Mayya, 43, principal technical specialist at Nokia Networks; Sindhu Naropanth, 41, senior tech program manager at Walmart Global Technologies; Nikhil Mysore Manjunath, 35, associate director at LTIMindtree; Siddhartha Agarwal, 52, founder of Bhoruka Park; and team captain Sumanth Naropanth, 45, founder of Indian cybersecurity companies Deep Armor and Gauntlet.
The group represented a mix of technology and business professionals who have competed extensively in Masters and open-water swimming. Several members have participated in state, national and international Masters championships and have previous relay experience in the English Channel, Catalina Channel and Palk Strait.
Agarwal has completed multiple relay and solo crossings and holds a Limca record for being the oldest Indian swimmer to successfully cross the English Channel.
For Srinivasa, the accomplishment also highlighted an aspect of the Indian diaspora that extends beyond professional achievement.
He praised the swimmers for demonstrating that Indians pursuing demanding careers in technology and business can also compete at the highest levels of endurance sport.
He expressed hope that the team’s achievement would encourage more young Indians, women and working professionals to take up swimming, fitness and adventure sports.
The Catalina Channel crossing is widely regarded as one of the major challenges in open-water swimming. For the SwimLife Orcas, completing the two-way journey places their achievement in an especially select category, with final ratification expected to determine its official status as the first successful double crossing of the channel by an Asian team.
