Orihuela swimmer Juan José Caselles López has successfully completed a gruelling 36-kilometre swim through Loch Ness, adding one of the world’s great open-water challenges to his growing list of achievements.
Caselles reached Lochend beach on the northern shore after spending 13 hours and 40 minutes in the water—just 20 minutes inside the event’s maximum 14-hour time limit.
The crossing presented a severe physical and mental test. Water temperatures remained at around 14°C, while strong headwinds made progress increasingly difficult. Caselles completed the challenge wearing a wetsuit.
His success was supported by an experienced team that closely monitored his condition and progress throughout the swim. Adolfo López, Daniel Abellán and Rachel Murphy formed his technical team and were waiting to assist him when he finally emerged from the water at Lochend.
Also aboard the support boat were his Orihuela training partners, Eulogio López-Fuensalida and Beatriz Peñalver, together with Scottish swimmer Nikki Murphy, who helped coordinate arrangements with the event organisers.
The successful crossing was the result of months of preparation and a determined team effort in extremely demanding conditions.
Caselles has now added Loch Ness to an impressive record of major open-water swims completed in recent years. His previous achievements include the 20 Bridges swim around Manhattan in New York, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Battle of Rande challenge in Galicia.
Finishing the 36-kilometre Loch Ness crossing with only minutes to spare represents another remarkable milestone for the endurance swimmer from Orihuela.
Image courtesy: https://activaorihuela.es/
