Working together to complete a 15-mile relay, student swimmers from a school in Del Mar earned their fifth world record in open-ocean swimming, and their second world record achieved this year.
The swim team at Sea Change Preparatory school – dubbed the “Zombie Patrol – completed a swim to the Santa Barbara oil rig in 14 hours. The students each swam in 30-minute intervals and were accompanied by school staff throughout the relay.
With that, the kids earned their fifth world record.
The team is comprised of eight students. The youngest swimmer, a non-verbal student with autism, is 14 years old.
The team set another world record in June, which involved a first-ever swim between the islands of Ischiua and Di Santo Stefano, off the coast of Naples, Italy.
Recently, the team received news that they have secured a coveted slot to swim the English Channel in July 2019. This will be the second time that the team will compete in this grueling 21-mile course.
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Training for the English Channel swim is underway now and will continue throughout the school year, with students and staff hitting the water three days a week without wetsuits or fins, in keeping with international competitive swimming guidelines.
"We are so proud of what our kids are able to accomplish, but more importantly, the kids are proud of themselves," said John Allcock, who co-founded the school along with his wife, Cheryl. "Each swim we complete is really a testament to the fact that these kids can do anything they set their minds to."
Sea Change Preparatory is a private school located steps from the beach in downtown Del Mar. The school features a high-quality, individualized academic curriculum, an inspired fitness program centered on world-class swimming, global travel, fine arts and music.
