A registered blind Swanage sea swimmer, Mark Critchlow, has marked his comeback to the sport by taking on a gruelling challenge to raise more than £3,000 for Swanage lifeboat station.
Mark, aged 64, has completed several major swims since losing total sight in one eye and all but 16 percent in the other 15 years ago, including a solo crossing of the English Channel and a swim around the Isle of Wight.
Passing Old Harry on the four and a half hour swim to Swanage Pier
Strong winds and adverse currents
However, a work injury which left Mark with trapped nerves in his neck forced him to stop serious swimming for two years until he moved to Swanage to be with his family in October 2024.
As part of a comeback to long distance swimming he took on a seven mile challenge from Shell Bay to Swanage Pier – but thanks to the weather and the tide it turned out to be a lot more challenging than he planned.
Strong winds and adverse currents turned the swim into one of more than nine miles and took him four hours and 40 minutes, around two hours longer than he had expected.
But Mark said the challenge marked an important milestone in his recovery and a chance to give back to his new community, raising more than £3,000 from supporters and presenting a cheque to Swanage Lifeboat coxswain Dave Turnbull on Wednesday 15th October 2025.
Celebrating a return to competitive swimming after the gruelling challenge
“Wanted to support local community”
Mark Critchlow said:
“I have been raising money for different charities for a long time and wanted to do something to support the local community.
“Swanage depends on the tourist industry and the lifeboats do so much to keep visitors safe, so it seemed obvious to me that I should do something to help the local lifeboat station.
“I had to stop swimming three years ago after hurting my neck and getting pinched nerves which caused pains in my hands, but after I moved to Swanage I started some gentle training and went carefully through last winter with the aim of doing some longer swims.
“I thought about swimming from Shell Bay by the chain ferry to Swanage Pier, which is about seven miles and should have been possible for me to do in two and a half to three hours.”
Strong winds and adverse currents meant that Mark’s swim was much longer than expected
“It was much tougher than I planned!”
Mark added:
“Originally the swim was scheduled for early September, but weather conditions meant the sea state wasn’t suitable so the swim was delayed.
“We waited a while for good conditions, but the safety boat pilot only had a limited time and we had to do the swim on the last day he was in the UK, taking whatever conditions were there – and it was much tougher than I planned!
“It was against the current with a strong south east wind and I ended up swimming more than nine miles, which took me four hours and 40 minutes.
“I thought that if I could manage a three hour swim I could try something more ambitious next year, but this has shown me that I can arrange something bigger with confidence.”
“I’m nearly blind in one eye and only have 16 percent sight in the other, so I have tunnel vision, but that doesn’t stop me from swimming.
“I was a runner before, and that was difficult without full vision, but in the sea there aren’t so many obstacles like uneven roads or overhanging branches, so swimming is much easier.”
Taking a moment to recover before planning an even more ambitious swim for 2026
More ambitious event for 2026
Despite the extended distance and challenging sea state, Mark powered through, supported by an escort boat provided by British open water swimmer Marc Newman and a support vessel from Pierhead Watersports of Swanage.
His achievements are all the more remarkable given his visual impairment – Mark lost sight in one eye 15 years ago and has just 16 percent vision in the other, giving him severe tunnel vision.
Despite this, he has completed some of the most challenging swims in British waters, including a solo crossing of the English Channel, a circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight, and endurance swims along the Jurassic Coast.
Now he is planning something more ambitious for summer 2026 to raise funds for Swanage Con Club’s chosen charity – although full details won’t be released for a few months.
Mark began his swimming journey in 2013 raising money for guide dogs, after losing his sight in one eye
24 hour search and rescue service
Swanage lifeboat coxswain Dave Turnbull said:
“We are very grateful for Mark’s amazing achievement in completing his endurance swim and raising this significant amount for Swanage Lifeboat Station which will help support our volunteers in their lifesaving work at Swanage.
“Our volunteer lifeboat crews rely entirely on public donations to operate, and funds raised by community members like Mark play a vital role in supporting the work we do here.
“Swanage Lifeboat Station provides a 24 hour search and rescue service, and we rely on the support of our local communities to power that.”
Mark’s nine mile swim from Shell Bay to Swanage Pier raised more than £3,000 for Swanage Lifeboat Station
Further information
- Find out more about the work of the RNLI on its website
- Donations can still be made at Mark’s Just Giving page
