Two Chinese swimmers have conquered Cook Strait, a notoriously dangerous 27-kilometre stretch of water between New Zealand's two main islands, at their first-ever swim in the open sea, it was reported Monday according to Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa. Wei Gang, 23, and Zhang Jie, 20, trained for the attempt doing laps in the pool at Beijing Sport University, Wellington's Dominion Post reported. The pair crossed Sunday from Arapawa Island at the top of the South Island's Queen Charlotte Sound to Cape Terawhiti, west of Wellington, in 8 hours, 3 minutes. The strait has been swum only 65 times since it was first conquered in November 1962, and veteran New Zealand swimmer Philip Rush, who advised the Chinese swimmers, said, "It is a ruthless piece of water. It's a big challenge and one of the toughest." He dubbed it an amazing swim, saying that the duo battled choppy seas and winds of 37 kilometres an hour.
