Delmont man conquers Straight of Gibraltar swim

Darren Miller's first experience visiting Africa was "pretty intense."

On Wednesday morning, he emerged from the Strait of Gibraltar, stood on a rock on the African coast and yelled.

He still had energy for that after swimming the nine-mile strait in three hours and 42 minutes to complete his fourth leg of the Ocean's Seven swim challenge. Miller's training regimen of swimming in Keystone Lake in Derry Township and keeping the thermostat low at his Delmont home helped -- the water temperature was 58 degrees, he said.

"I felt fine," he said.

Miller, 29, swam the strait between Spain and Morocco that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The close proximity meant that Miller could see the finish line in Africa during the entire swim.

"It's definitely a mind game you play with yourself," he said.

But with 500 yards left, "you get an abnormal shot of energy," he said.

Ocean's Seven is a global open-water swimming challenge, and Miller is determined to be the first person to finish it, having completed legs in the English Channel, Catalina Channel in Southern California, Molokai Channel in Hawaii and now, the Strait of Gibraltar.

The remaining swims are the Tsugaru Channel in Japan, Cook Strait in New Zealand and Irish (North) Channel between Ireland and Scotland.

Miller swam with a team for the first time in an open-water challenge. Team Perfect Coordinate set off Wednesday morning from Spain and consisted of Miller and Jamie Patrick and Jen Schumacher, both of California, and Oliver Wilkinson of Australia.

It took some time for the team to get used to practicing together, but Miller said the group swam in unison and finished the challenge together. They didn't see any aquatic life but did get close to large ships.

Miller said one was within 200 to 300 yards in front of the group. A video on Patrick's website shows the swimmers dwarfed by the ship.

Each completed leg means donations to the Forever Fund, which helps families pay for costs associated with infant cardiothoracic surgery. So far, $50,000 has been raised during Miller's journey.

To contribute to the Forever Fund, visit www.darren-miller.com or mail a check to Team Forever at P.O. Box 205, Murrysville, PA 15668.