Antonio Argüelles, a deep-water swimmer, has taken his passion for swimming to the limit in his quest to conquer the challenge of the Ocean's Seven crossing.
This Seven Seas challenge consists of swimming across the Strait of Gibraltar, Tsugaru, the Catalina Channel, the English Channel, Molokai, Cook Strait, and the North Channel.
Recently, Argüelles successfully crossed Cook Strait in New Zealand, so he only has to swim the North Channel, also known as the Strait of Moyle, located between Ireland and Scotland, to complete this challenge.
How did this passion for open water swimming start and what was the main reason for dedicating yourself to it?
I swam competitively throughout my childhood and youth until I entered university, where I retired. After that, I spent several years competing in triathlons, marathons, and Iron Man races. At the age of 40, I wanted to go to Everest, but at that age, I wanted to find something that would motivate me, so I decided to return to swimming and cross the English Channel.
How were those first experiences almost two decades ago, first swimming around Manhattan and then crossing the English Channel?
My first swim around Manhattan - because I've done it twice - was a very pleasant experience. It was a great surprise to encounter the currents of the rivers that flow through New York and empty into the Atlantic Ocean; I did very well there.
The English Channel was a very challenging experience because I had to swim on a day with wind, tides, and strong currents, taking me over 18 hours to complete. In my second attempt, ten years later, I did it in just over 12 hours.
I always use this experience as an example of how open water swimming, like any other event with a nature component, disregards time.
Until now, what does swimming the Ocean's Seven mean and what has been the biggest challenge you have encountered in this adventure?
The most challenging swim of my life was when I was preparing to complete the Triple Crown in one season, which was in 2009, to swim across Catalina. That day was very difficult because the waves were almost three meters high, the water temperature was below 16 degrees, and at that time I had not yet trained for such cold water. The most challenging swim to complete the Seven Seas challenge was Molokai, which took me almost a day.
Argüelles also highlighted that the Cook Strait swim was very intense due to the instability of the location and the short window of time he had.
What is the preparation like for these swims? What is the process and how long does it take?
It has several components, which consist of swimming almost every day, an average of six kilometers per day; physical strengthening through strength exercises; refining technique with swim coach Ricardo Durón; mental training sessions with my mental trainer, and once a month, I try to swim in very cold waters.
What is a typical swim day like for you? What is your approach on that day? How often do you take breaks?
In each swim, I am accompanied by at least one boat, or a boat and a kayak; in Cook Strait, I was accompanied by a Zodiac boat.
The routine is that from 30 minutes onwards, they start feeding me with a combination of 375 milliliters of water, to dissolve a special product that is a combination of carbohydrates and proteins, which is given to me in warm water because the main goal is to keep my body warm.
I hardly ever stop. The challenge is to have very quick nutrition because if you stop, the currents will push you back. Depending on the water temperature, I pee every 45 or 60 minutes, which is important to monitor to make sure I'm not becoming dehydrated. This also depends on the water temperature.
You are currently 57 years old. After completing this crossing, will you consider retiring or will you continue swimming in open waters?
My birthday is in a few days, and the truth is that – more or less - since the age of eight, I have never stopped exercising.
This truly motivates me; I can't imagine myself without physical activity. I don't know if I will continue doing open water swims as I do them today; it's something I will have to think about.
Do you feel like there are still challenges left for you in your career?
Although I only have one swim left, the North Sea crossing is a very challenging journey. I have very good friends who have tried to swim it more than twice and have not succeeded.
First, I have to finish this challenge, and then I will see what comes next. It's a very complicated swim.
After your retirement, what projects will you pursue in your life?
Currently, I am the director of the Nueva Escuela Tecnológica, a system of seven campuses in the metropolitan area of Mexico City. This is another one of my passions, which is to offer quality education at an affordable price.
I am also a consultant for the Federal Government and different states in Mexico, where I stay close to public education. This is a way for me to stay involved in my passion, which is education. It requires a lot of work in our country.
My latest major entrepreneurial project is to publish a book for children that involves the Seven Seas and tells stories about what happens in the water to motivate them to exercise and lead a healthy life.
What do you feel is missing in Mexican sports? For example, at the recent Olympic Games, Mexico only won five medals, and initially, it was thought that the record of seven medals from London 2012 would be surpassed.
First, as a society, we have to understand that there is no reason for Mexico to win many medals.
First and foremost, we are a country that still has a large number of people in extreme poverty. We have major deficiencies in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. In other words, the resources the government has to allocate to sports are very limited, and Mexicans do not give value to sports and physical activity. It is not a priority.
Argüelles also states that for sports to grow in our country, Mexican society must change its overall structure, but he also said that the contribution of the private sector is important to incentivize this change.