Milton Brest
Milton Brest is a 59-year-old open water swimmer from South Africa who is the owner of Shale Investments CC and a members of the MadSwimmers of South Africa.
Contents
- 1 Open Water Swimming Highlights
- 2 Europe to Africa
- 3 Asia to North America
- 4 Asia to Europe
- 5 Asia to Africa
- 6 North America to South America
- 7 Australasia to Asia
- 8 Madswimmers Honors
- 9 The Highest Swim - Mount Ojos del Salado Swim
- 10 The Highest Swim
- 11 Dead Sea Swim
- 12 The Great Shark Swim
- 13 External links
Open Water Swimming Highlights
- On 3 May 2025, he completed a tandem swim with Phillip Chappell from Sandaun in Papua New Guinea in Australasia to Jalan Skouw in Indonesia in Asia across the Pacific Ocean. The swim commenced at 13:59 and concluded at 15:12, covering 3.19 km in 29°C water with observer, coordinator, and photographer Alon Brest, organizer Econ Wanggai, and escort pilot Karel Sa. This completed his Intercontinental Swim Series that included the following crossings:
- Europe to Africa: Strait of Gibraltar, Spain to Morocco
- Asia to Europe: Bosporus, Turkey
- Africa to Asia: Red Sea, Tiran Island to Ras Gimalia
- North to South America: La Miel, Panama to Playa Sapzurro, Colombia
- Russia to America: Big Diomede to Little Diomede
- Australasia to Asia: Papua New Guinea to Indonesia
- His first major open water swim was the Alcatraz Island to San Francisco's Aquatic Park swim in 2003 where he came 4th in his age group and 25th overall.
- He has completed 4 Robben Island crossings.
- In 2009 he did a double Robben Island crossing to raise funds for charity.
- He holds the record for participating in 15 Sun City Swims.
- In 2013 he completed a crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar with the fastest time ever in his age group.
- In December 2015, he will attempt The Big Swim on Mt Tres Cruces in December 2015 at 5,909 m (19,386 feet) in Argentina as part of the Madswimmers' Ojos Swim together with Jean Craven, Evan Feldman, Chris Marthinusen, Herman van der Westhuizen, Robert Graaff, and Juandre Human. The Ojos swim is part 1 of 2 of the Hi/Low Swim Challenge: Ojos will be the highest swim and the Dead Sea from Jordan to Israel will be the lowest open water swim in the following year.
- He participated in the 16 km Dead Sea Swim across the Dead Sea on 15 November 2016.
- He participated in the Great Shark Swim, a planned 100 km charity swim organised by Madswimmer in the Agulhas Current along the KwaZulu Natal Coast in South Africa. The team stopped after 28.24 km and 9 hours 3 minutes due to stings by blue bottles on 2 December 2017.
- He completed the Intercontinental Swim Series, a series of 6 crossings:
- Europe to Africa (Strait of Gibraltar crossing): 14.4 km assisted crossing from Tarifa in Spain to Almansa Point in Morocco on 9 September 2013 in 3 hours 17 minutes in 21°C water across the Strait of Gibraltar
- Asia to North America (Bering Strait crossing): 3.8 km assisted crossing from Big Diomede Island in Russia to Little Diomede Island in Alaska, United States of America on 30 July 2014 in x hours x minutes across the Bering Strait
- Asia to Europe (Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı): 6.5 km crossing from Kanlıca, Anatolia to Kuruçeşme, Istanbul in Turkey on 26 July 2015 in 1 hour 14 minutes 52 seconds in 22°-24°C water across the Bosporus
- Asia to Africa (Tiran Island Intercontinental Swim): 10 km crossing between Tiran Island in Saudi Arabia to Ras Gamilia in Egypt on 2 August 2019 in x hours x minutes in 26°-28°C water in the Red Sea
- North America to South America (Panama to Colombia Intercontinental Swim): 4.39 km crossing from La Miel in Panama to Playa Sapzurro in Colombia on 18 April 2023 in 1 hour 22 minutes in 27°–29°C water of the Caribbean Sea
- Australasia to Asia (Papua New Guinea to Indonesia Intercontinental Swim): 3.19 km crossing from Sandaun in Papua New Guinea to Jalan Skouw in Indonesia on 3 May 2025 in 1 hour 13 minutes in the 29°C water in the Pacific Ocean
Europe to Africa
He completed a 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar crossing on 9 September 2013 from Tarifa, Spain to Almansa Point, Morocco in 3 hours 17 minutes under the escort of pilot Cristina Montiel with observer Fernando Pérez in 21°C water under calm seas and clear skies.
Asia to North America
He completed a 3.8 km swim from Big Diomede Island in Russia, Asia to Little Diomede Island in the USA, North America across the Bering Straiton 30 July 2014. He swam with a wetsuit across strong currents while navigating under challenging geopolitical and environmental conditions. He was escorted by a safety vessel and support crew for navigation and emergency readiness. This swim crosses the International Date Line and connects two continents, Asia and North America.
Asia to Europe
He completed the Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race (Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı) in Turkey on 26 July 2015. He swam 6.5 km from Kanlıca, Anatolia in Asia to Kuruçeşme, Istanbul in Europe in 1 hour 14 minutes 52 seconds under favorable conditions with the natural current assisting the swim between 22 and 24°C where he placed 3rd in the 60-69 age group.
Asia to Africa
Brest, Tyrel Manson, and Neil Ralphs completed the 10 km Tiran Island Intercontinental Swim on 2 August 2019. They swam from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and back, swimming 10 km between Tiran Island in Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Tectonic Plate and Ras Gamilia, Egypt on the African Tectonic Plate. They returned from Ras Gamilia in Egypt to Tiran Island in Saudi Arabia. The first 5 km leg took 1 hour 40 minutes; the return 5 km in 26°- 28°C water.
North America to South America
He completed the Panama to Colombia Intercontinental Swim on 18 April 2023. He swam 4.39 km from La Miel Panama in North America to Sapzurro, Colombia in South America in 1 hour 22 minutes in 27° - 29°C water of the Caribbean Sea. He was assisted by Colombia master diver Juan Carlos Blanco and Colombian Coast Guard representative Sanguino Reyes Javier.
Australasia to Asia
He completed the Papua New Guinea to Indonesia Intercontinental Swim from Australasia to Asia on 3 May 2025. They swam 3.19 km from Sandaun, Papua New Guinea in Australasia to Jalan Skouw, Indonesia in Asia in 1 hour 13 minutes in the 29°C water of the Pacific Ocean. The support team included observer, coordinator, and photographer Alon Brest, organizer Econ Wanggai, and escort pilot Karel Sa.
Madswimmers Honors
The Madswimmers Charity Swims is nominated for the 2015 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
The Highest Swim - Mount Ojos del Salado Swim
The Highest Swim
Madswimmers doing high-altitude swimming at 5909m (19,386 feet) in a frozen lake on Mt Tres Cruces, a volcano in the Andes Mountains along the Argentina - Chile border in South America with the water temperature between 0.5 - 2ºC (32.9ºF - 35.6ºC). Jean Craven, Herman van der Westhuizen and Chris Marthinusen completed the 5-minute neoprened wild swim while Evan Feldman and Milton Brest swam in wetsuits and Robert Graaff and Juandre Human were unable to partake in the final swim due to medical restraints after a 6-hour hike up the volcano and a laborious creating of the small area to swim through the 20 cm thick ice covering.
Dead Sea Swim
Brest participated in the 16 km Dead Sea Swim across the Dead Sea on 15 November 2016. The participating open water swimmers include Udi Erell, Adina Faur, Kimberley Chambers, Abigail Thomson, Yosuf, Avishag Turek, Ori Sela, Oded Rahav, Milton Brest, Juandre Human, Jean Craven, Evan Feldman, Ben Enosh, Doron Amosi, Munqueth Mehyar, Brooke Penney, Dov Litvinoff, Nick Papageorge, Samuel Moran, and Luc Chetboun.
The Great Shark Swim
He participated in the Great Shark Swim, a planned 100 km charity swim organised by Madswimmer in the Agulhas Current along the KwaZulu Natal Coast in South Africa. The team stopped after 28.24 km and 9 hours 3 minutes due to stings by blue bottles on 2 December 2017.
External links
- Milton Brest Completes His Intercontinental Swim Series
- Milton Brest and Phillip Chappell Complete Australasia to Asia Continental Swim
- High-Altitude Open Water Swims Around The World
- Mad Swimmer
- Milton Brest
- Milton Brest Heads To 15th Sun City Swim
- 2015 World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year Nominees
- Swimming On Top Of The World's Highest Volcano
- 2015 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Voting
- The Highest Open Water Swim In History
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Pool Time At The Highest Swim In History
- The Big Swim At 5,909m Is Tomorrow
- Madswimmers Complete The Highest Swim In History
- Swimming In Earth's Lowest Elevation On Land
- How High Can Madswimmer Go?
- Uncertainty In The Unknown
- Ibiza Swim And Bazaruto Swim By Madswimmer
- Great Shark Swim Stopped By Blue Bottles
- High-Altitude Swims Around The World
