10/05/2026
Today, we celebrate the birthday of James Pittar Honor swimmer of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. James Pittar was born on October 5, 1969, in Sydney, Australia. He first experienced early signs of vision loss at the age of 10, initially noticing difficulties in low-light or dark conditions. His condition deteriorated further, and at sixteen, he was diagnosed with a genetic eye disease; by the age of 21, he had lost his sight completely.
In his youth, he represented his country as a pool swimmer in various national and international competitions. However, a meeting with IMSHOF Honoree Des Renford, MBE, OAM made such a profound impression on him that he began open-water swimming, marking the start of a new chapter in his life.
In 1998, James became the first blind swimmer to successfully swim across the English Channel. Upon reaching the French coast, he never again viewed himself as disadvantaged. The following year, he swam around Manhattan. Despite having to devise a system with whistle tweets to navigate the correct course without sight, he completed these various swims and races with remarkably impressive times.
As he said, "He would learn that disability is only a barrier if you let it be”.
This mindset inspired him to take on further challenges. He resolved to swim a marathon on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica. It took him 925 days to achieve his goal! The Cook Strait (NZ), the Paraná River (ARG), Vaal River in South Africa, Anzac Cove in Turkey, Phuket in Thailand, and finally, the Catalina Channel in California/USA.
Completing the Catalina Channel also meant he became the first blind swimmer to successfully complete the Triple Crown series! He is the first blind swimmer to have successfully tackled difficult and unique challenges at numerous locations such as the Cook Strait.
Between August 5 and August 11, 2013, he took part in a unique relay swim across the Bering Sea—from Russia to the United States—a feat that remains unparalleled to this day! The 86-kilometer distance ultimately stretched to 134 kilometers due to strong currents and the swimmers wearing only standard swim suits, rotated every 10–15 minutes in water temperatures ranging from 2.5 to 10 degrees Celsius. Despite the hardships, he considers this his favorite swim and experience!
James is a fantastic example of how a disability does not prevent someone from achieving and realizing great things!
As a result of his outstanding achievements, he was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009.
We wish James a very happy birthday!
