Strait of Messina

Who gets into the record book

The official record book for Strait crossings is maintained by Baiadigrotta.it, and there are four criteria for inclusion: no wetsuit, no fins, no contact with boats or other people, and at least one official timekeeper present. Anyone requesting to have a crossing included must attach the report from the Federazione Italiana Cronometristi.

These are the same rules as for open-water competitions: you cannot touch the support boat, you cannot swim in the wake of vessels, and you cannot use fins, wetsuits of any thickness, or snorkels. A crossing is considered solo only if you swim alone, without a friend entering the water to swim alongside you. Among the unwritten rules is that of the final "three steps": the stopwatch stops after the final three steps. There is no federal body that homologates individual crossings; the incomplete archives are kept by local timekeeper sections, and the record book applies these rules to decide what to register.

Fazio uses the same criterion for history as well: crossings that were not timed and those made with equipment not permitted by the Federazione Italiana Nuoto at the time—such as non-approved swimsuits, wetsuits, or fins—or those involving stops on a boat are excluded. Swimming with fins is considered a different discipline.

The route

The route authorized by the Messina Port Authority ordinance runs from the beach in front of the Torre Faro pylon to the beach in Cannitello in front of the Boccaccio restaurant, and vice versa. If the tide requires a different starting or finishing point, it must be agreed upon with the Messina traffic control center. The distance declared by the organization is between 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and 4 km (2.5 mi), depending on the day's route; the crossing ends when you touch the opposite shore. In the record book, individual crossings count in both directions: there are even those who started from Cannitello and arrived at Capo Peloro.

To participate, you must be at least 14 years old, have a medical certificate for competitive sports, and, for minors, parental consent^4. The person in charge at sea will interrupt the crossing if the sea conditions worsen or if safety is at risk.

Singles, doubles, and multiples

The record book keeps separate tables for single crossings, doubles, those on other routes, those in competition, and those in pairs or groups. A double is a round trip in the same swim: you touch Calabria and, after a short break, you set off again for Sicily. The ordinance allows the return only before June 15 and after September 15, with no more than six swimmers per crossing, gathered in a stretch of water no larger than 50 meters (164 ft). There are also quadruple, sextuple, and, since September 18, 2025, a septuple crossing, which consists of seven continuous passages.

Records are distinguished by stroke—freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly—and by men and women. The record book only recognizes a record for crossings made on more than one occasion, because a comparison between at least two results is required.

Wetsuits and groups

Crossings with a wetsuit do not enter the individual tables. In the lists of some group crossings, the record book notes who swam with a wetsuit, and in the rankings on this page, those crossings are kept separate from the others.