Lynne Cox

Lynne Cox was born on January 2, 1957, in Manchester, New Hampshire. She grew up in a family of swimmers, receiving early training from her parents. At the age of fifteen, she achieved a significant milestone by setting a new record for crossing the English Channel, surpassing both male and female records at the time. Three years later, she became the first woman to successfully swim across the Cook Strait, a 13.5-mile body of water known for sharks, located between New Zealand’s North and South Islands. These early accomplishments established her reputation as a formidable open-water swimmer.

Cox is widely recognized for her historic swim across the Bering Strait on August 7, 1987. This journey from the US Little Diomede Island to the Soviet Big Diomede was undertaken as a peace gesture during the Cold War. Despite political tensions and initial difficulties in obtaining permission from Soviet authorities, her swim was eventually authorized by President Gorbachev. The water temperature during her two-hour and five-minute swim was approximately 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Her feat symbolized hope for improved US-Soviet relations and was later acknowledged by both President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. This event three years later led to a US-Russian agreement on collaborative efforts in natural conservation, cultural preservation, and scientific research in the Bering Strait region.

Throughout her career, Cox continued to achieve notable records and undertake challenging swims. In 1971, she was part of the first group of teenagers to cross the Catalina Island Channel. She followed her Bering Strait swim with a challenging swim in Lake Titicaca in the Andes in May 1992, covering approximately 10 miles. Another significant accomplishment included swimming over a mile in the frigid waters of Antarctica for 25 minutes. Cox has authored several books, including “Swimming to Antarctica” (2004) and “Grayson” (2006). She continues to work as a public speaker and educator, sharing her experiences to motivate audiences on overcoming challenges.