Man, 60, starts Cook Strait swim

Bay of Plenty swimmer Mike Bodger set out this morning to become the oldest person to swim the Cook Strait.

The 60-year-old Whakatane man entered the water 5km north of Perano Point, at the top of the South Island, about 7.30am.

Support crew member Philip Rush, who has completed the swim six times, reported that Mr Bodger seemed "quite happy" and he was confident he would "wash up" in the North Island later today.

The veteran swimmer faces water temperatures as low as 14degC and tidal flows on the 26km swim, which could take anywhere between six and 12 hours to complete.

Mr Bodger is challenging the record held by Pam Dickson, who made the swim at age 55 in 9 hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds in March last year.

He said last week he had been thinking about attempting the Cook Strait for the last 10 years and believed it was achievable.

- NZPA