Cork-based woman: I swam across Dal Riata channel in memory of my husband

It takes a very special person to become only the seventh person to swim across the Dal Riata channel between Scotland and Ireland. But then Olga O’Sullivan is just that.

“After my husband Colm passed away in 2020 during Covid after suffering heart complications; I wanted to do something in his memory that would push my limits,” says Olga, originally from St. Petersburg in Russia, but living in Cork since 1996 and who has two grown-up sons.

Swimming a 21km stretch between Fastnet Island and Baltimore, Olga raised €11,000 for the Irish Heart Foundation and in memory of Colm.

Olga, who lives in Ballincollig and works as an Accounting Systems Consultant at Dell, doesn’t give up easily.

“My first attempt to swim from Baltimore to Fastnet Rock took place on September 17, 2022, says Olga. “The swim was aborted after 16km.

My second successful attempt saw me complete the 21km swim in six hours, 42 minutes on September 8, 2023.

Colm O’Sullivan was a very special person.

“He was a kind-hearted, intelligent, and generous man with whom I spent 25 years of my life,” says Olga.

Great minds think alike.

“He was a scientist. He loved adventure and travelling. We met in India.”

Family life was always important for them.

“We took our sons on holidays and on day trips, exposing them to as many wonderful experiences in life over material possessions,” says Olga.

Colm loved nature and the great outdoors.

“He loved gardening,” adds Olga.

He had green fingers.

“Plants thrived under his touch, no matter what climate they were meant to grow in.”

Colm could be full of surprises as well.

“He had a quirky side!” says Olga.

“Once, we ended up with a hedge created with Latin American gunnera plants with giant leaves, which you can also find in Fota Gardens. The neighbours called it ‘giant cabbage!”

Olga always remembers the man she loved so well.

Whenever I encounter negative moments in my long swims, I often think of him.

“I always try to redirect my mind to thinking how lucky I am to be alive, to be able to swim and to have this amazing experience in the ocean.”

Olga’s marathon swim competing the Dal Riata channel last summer was an amazing experience in itself.

“I started at 1.17pm on August 30 from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland and eventually landed on the rocks near Cushendun in Northern Ireland after midnight on August 31,” says Olga. She went the distance.

“The straight-line distance between these points is 21km. But the tides made me cover 37km in just over 11 hours.

“I had the best crew, pilot and observer as only the seventh solo swimmer and second woman to succeed!”

Solo swims are not really solo though.

“They are impossible without a team behind you,” says Olga.

“A huge thank-you goes to my pilot, Padraig from Infinity Channel Swimming, my observer Anna, and crew of Paul, Marcus and Ann-Marie who travelled from Cork with me.”

Olga overcame any obstacles that came her way.

“Of course, fighting the tides and currents and being asked to swim faster a good bit, was hard,” she says.

She was in good company at times.

“I had dolphins swimming around me for hours, stunning sunsets, and amazing support,” says Olga.

She was in her very own water wonderland.

The bioluminescence in the dark was beautiful.

Creatures lurked underneath too.

“Lion manes stayed deep underneath,” says Olga.

She met great people along the way.

“We stayed in Cushendall Tavnaghoney cottages in Antrim and had an amazing host Caroline who joined a WhatsApp group following my swim and GPS tracker.

“Caroline prepared a warm house as well as a present and a card for our return at midnight.”

What does swimming such a long distance feel like?

“Half the swim felt like a race against the tides and currents, with continuously being asked to swim faster,” says Olga.

“The last few kilometres against the tide and in the dark were hard, sometimes simply swimming in one spot and only barely managing to keep the position.”

Olga always looks on the bright side.

“However, I had dolphins swimming all around me for hours and calling to each other under the water. 

There could be a pod of eight or 10 dolphins jumping around the water near me for a long time. It was magical.

Other animals kept their distance.

“Lion jellyfish stayed deep underneath the water surface, and I avoided being stung simply by swimming over them,” says Olga.

She was in a happy place.

“The water was warmer than expected at 14 and 15 degrees.”

Olga, who learned to swim as a child in open waters, in lakes and rivers, respects the ocean.

“I am a self-taught swimmer,” she says. “I don’t come from a pool background.

“I started marathon swimming after Colm died. I wanted something to test my limits.”

How did Olga feel after her marathon swim?

“I was exhausted!” she says.

She was elated too.

I couldn’t believe it. I was so happy to finish. My crew motivated me all the way.

Her work colleagues at Dell, Ovens, family, friends, Cork’s swimming community, and Eagle AC running club supported Olga in her brave attempt to complete the Del Riata swim.

“My work colleagues were very supportive,” says Olga.

“They created a Whatsapp group and followed updates and my progress.

“Swimming the Del Riata marathon, I felt the support and I felt the love. I drew strength from all the positive messages. And I drew strength from all my team who were behind me.”

There was a lot of people behind Olga.

“The swimming community at Myrtleville and Sandycove were both amazing,” says Olga, who completed a gruelling training regime before undertaking her mission.

“We have a dip, we have coffee together, and we have a chat.”

Colm, who loved the great outdoors and who loved adventure, would be proud of his wife.

“He always valued making memories and experiences in life above material things,” says Olga.

We went on day trips, surfing, hiking, exploring.

The foursome went further afield too.

“We travelled by ferry to France. Having all of that was wonderful.”

Olga who always sees the glass half full, is grateful for all the wonderful experiences that she shared with her family.

“Whenever I get negative, I think how lucky I am to be alive, and to experience all of that.”

Olga knows that the best things in life are free.

“Watching the sun rise is so beautiful,” she says. “Being with the people you love, family and friends, is so important.”

Are Olga’s and Colm’s sons water-babies?

“They are both water babies who got swimming lessons young. The older boy took up running when he was older.”

Olga, who endured tough training, deep waters where sea creatures lurked, and who tolerated cold temperatures while only wearing her swimming costume, her swimming hat and goggles, completely unassisted during her Dal Riata swim, is a very special person.

She is rightly proud of her achievements.

“Colm would be proud also.”

The O’Sullivans were a very special couple.