Strait of Gibraltar

I first visited the Strait of Gibraltar when I was a student, hitchhiking through Spain, when we decided to take a ferry to Ceuta. The reason was prosaic – we wanted to be in Africa for a moment. Being in a ferry, I wondered how long it would take me to swim across this strait.
Years later, and after crossing the Balaton, I was determined to swim it. However, I was unaware that upon registering your swim with ACNEG (The Gibraltar Straight Swimming Association – certifying swim across Gibraltar Strait) you have to wait for three years in a queue due to the number of applications, the weather and the fact that only one swim is allowed daily.
I was very lucky. During my June stay in Spain, I went to Tarifa – the starting point of the Gibraltar Strait swim as well as the headquarters of ACNEG. After speaking with the friendly Mr. Rafael – President of ACNEG, I was informed that maybe this year (2013) it would be possible – but not guaranteed – and only after payment of non-returnable administrative deposit (application and visa form).
Rafael called me at the end of September and said that I could swim. I arrived in Tarifa and waited over a week for good weather, finally to be attached to British swimmers, since my swim time frame has passed. The Brits were fast swimmers (4km/h) and at the beginning I was out of the breath trying to keep up with them, being afraid to be pulled out of the water as the slowest, since all swimmers had to cross together. In the second part of the swim Brits speed decreased and I become confident that I would make it.