Karl Bushby, a 57-year-old British adventurer, is facing a potential roadblock from French authorities that could prevent him from completing the final leg of his 28-year, 36,000-mile global journey: swimming across the English Channel.
Bushby, who embarked on his odyssey from Chile in 1998, has already been denied permission by Eurotunnel to walk through a service tunnel under the sea to reach England, citing safety and operational concerns. Now, French coastguards have indicated they will also prevent him from swimming the approximately 21 miles between France and England.
Under the terms of his challenge, Bushby cannot use conventional transportation. Having reached Belgium, his next intended step was to cross the Channel to his home city of Hull, East Yorkshire. He had planned to attempt the swim in October, but French officials have stated that the country "tolerates Channel crossing by swimming only from the UK coast to the French coast." This is based on a 2018 prefectoral order, according to the French Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
Bushby's support team is in discussions with the Channel and North Sea Maritime Prefecture, which manages the order, hoping for an exception. "We are talking with the French coastguard and we hope an exception to the rule can be made," Bushby said.
Despite the setbacks, Bushby has secured a support boat for his planned October crossing, which he estimates would take two to three days. He is currently in Mexico to manage visa regulations and plan his routes, intending to return to Belgium in early September and then move to France later that month to prepare for the potential swim.
"I am not angry it has come to this. I am more disappointed. But things could still change. Walking through the service tunnel is still the preferred option," Bushby stated.
Weather conditions are also a critical factor for a successful crossing. Bushby has experience with challenging aquatic crossings during his journey. In 2006, he became the first Briton to traverse the Bering Strait, a 58-mile frozen sea between North America and Russia, which included swimming. More recently, in 2024, he completed a 186-mile swim across the Caspian Sea to avoid traveling through Russia or Iran due to heightened global tensions.