“Autism should not preclude someone from living a life of accomplishment”
Michael Magee will attempt the channel swim in June(Image: Supplied)
A West Belfast man has been preparing for two years in his quest to become the first person on the island of Ireland with autism to successfully swim the English Channel.
Michael Magee, 30, is undertaking the endeavour in an inspirational bid to show others what is possible and to raise money for Praxis Care UK.
The organisation is a registered social care charity providing specialised, person-centred support and accommodation for adults and children with complex needs.
Michael will be undertaking his qualification swim this weekend before he undertakes his channel attempt in June. The qualifying swim sees candidates complete a 6-hour continuous swim in water 15.5°C or less, verified by an observer.
“The swim this weekend will be a six-hour qualification swim in cold water to ensure I am ready for the big day. A friend of mine is helping me out with food and guidance during it. The main event will be at the end of June when I set off to achieve my goal of swimming across the English Channel.
“I was hoping to attempt it last year and I was trying to get my body acclimatised, but I was finding it difficult so I decided to spend time working at perfecting this, why I will be attempting this year. I’ve done big ultra events, including an Ironman and the Monster Triathlon from Loch Ness to London. The next day after the Loch Ness event I went straight to Kenya and then onto Kilimanjaro not long after to complete the climb.
“I tried to cycle around Taiwan in 2024 but an earthquake happened halfway through the journey, so we had to cancel. The roads were destroyed, so we only got from Taipei to the southern point of Taiwan. This will be in some ways harder than other things I have done but it is only one day.”
In order to have their attempt recognised, swimmers are allowed only a standard swim costume – which means no wetsuits – goggles, and one swim cap. The English Channel is seen by many as a challenging test of endurance that has seen many attempt the feat throughout history.
According to Open Swim, Matthew Webb became the first Englishman to successfully cross the channel in August 1875.
In 1950, the American Florence Chadwick made history by completing the swim. She returned the following year to swim it again, completing it from England to France, and becoming the first woman to successfully swim the route in both directions.
On September 8, 2023, Germany’s Andreas Waschburger made history by setting the record for the fastest men’s crossing of the English Channel, with a time of six hours and 45 minutes. Back in 1988, 11-year-old Tom Gregory became the youngest swimmer to ever cross the English channel, a feat that will never be broken after a 16-year-old minimum age limit came into force in the year 2000.
If successful, Michael will be among just a handful of autistic swimmers from around the world to swim the English Channel. This group currently includes Turkish swimmer Tuna Tunca, who completed it in 2025, and Australian Kate Wallington, who swam it in 2023, using only her arms due to also having a physical disability.
“I was diagnosed with autism at the age of four, was somewhat of a late bloomer but over time I learned to take on new challenges and roles in my life,” said Michael.
“People assume autistic people live very robotic lives, the reality is they live highly emotional lives. A lot of people stereotype autistic individuals but a lot of them live very colourful, impactful, passionate lives and sometimes just struggle a little with emotion.
“The channel swim is going to be very cold, rough, and probably laden with jellyfish, but I’m set on it. I’d love people’s support to hit my fundraising goal for Praxis Care UK. It is a cause that’s close to my heart as the organisation provides care services to struggling young people with mental and physical challenges, including those who are autistic
“Training has been a challenge. I have had to adjust my body not to enter shock when going into cold water. I started in cold showers and learned to control my breathing. The breathing calms your body down and allows your body to keep moving. On a typical day the channel is 16 degrees Celsius so you need to do a lot of training to get your body used to the temperature. I’ve been trying to get acclimatised at my local swimming pool at Andersonstown and also use plunge pools.
“I use cold plunges outside, you feel the wind against you and it is a lot more realistic being in the elements. That experience has been invaluable in my training. I want to do this to show other autistic people what is possible and to help Praxis Care. Having the label of autism should not preclude someone from living a life of accomplishment.”
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