The head of Swimming New Zealand's open water programme, Philip Rush, says the sport owes a lot to the first man to swim Cook Strait, Barrie Devenport, who's died in Australia aged 75.
In November 1962 Devenport took just over 11 hours to swim from north to south with a support crew from Wellington's Worser Bay surf club.
Rush says Cook Strait's one of the world's toughest distance swims and he and Devenport discussed that about 18 months ago, recalling how several other swimmers were fighting to make the first recorded crossing.
He says Devenport had to train in winter and even in November the water's still cold so it was an amazing feat.
Rush has made seven crossings, including two doubles.
