The California swimmer is attempting her fifth of seven Oceans Seven swims while raising funds for cancer research with Swim Across America.
DONAGHADEE, Northern Ireland, July 6, 2026 — On or about July 7-9, at a time chosen by tides, weather, and the temperament of the sea, 18-year-old Maya Merhige of Berkeley, California, will dive into the cold waters of the North Channel in Ireland, wearing only a swimsuit, swim cap, and goggles. She will be swimming for herself and for family and friends fighting cancer.
Maya will attempt to swim 34.5 kilometers, or 21.4 miles, from Ireland to Scotland across one of the world’s most difficult open-water crossings, known for powerful currents, unpredictable weather, cold, choppy water, and lion’s mane jellyfish. The swim is expected to take more than 12 hours in water temperatures of about 12 to 13 degrees Celsius, or the mid-50s Fahrenheit.
The North Channel will be Maya’s fifth Oceans Seven swim. The Oceans Seven is the aquatic equivalent of mountaineering’s Seven Summits. It requires swimmers to complete solo, unassisted crossings of seven of the world’s most challenging and dangerous ocean channels. She completed the Catalina Channel in 2021, the Molokai Channel in 2023, the English Channel in 2024, and the Cook Strait in 2025. After the North Channel, she will attempt the Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco, in August 2026. In 2027, she will attempt her final crossing of the Oceans Seven, the Tsugaru Strait in Japan. Maya embarks on these major swims not only to accomplish a rare athletic feat but also to raise critical funds for cancer research through the nonprofit Swim Across America, for which she has raised an incredible $165,000 over the years.
“Every time I get in the water, I am carrying others with me who have had a far more challenging journey than I’m undertaking,” noted Maya, as she has the names of friends and family members who have battled cancer written on her swim cap. “The North Channel is intimidating, but I know why I am there. I am swimming for those whose names are on my cap, for families who need hope, and for the research that can lead to better treatments.”
Maya grew up in Berkeley, California, and just completed her first year at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Her mission to “make waves to fight cancer” began when she was 9 years old and first swam with Swim Across America in San Francisco to honor a family friend and three-time cancer survivor. She has swum every year since. She has also supported the nonprofit by leading the Swim Across America Junior Advisory Board and by starting her own team for the annual open-water event. The excitement of that first swim has stuck with her.
Since those early years, Maya has built an extraordinary open-water resume. She has swum the Tahoe Triple Crown, including the length and width of Lake Tahoe, circled Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay, and completed the Three Rocks swim in the San Francisco Bay. Just a week after her 13th birthday, she became the youngest woman to swim across Lake Tahoe.
At 14, she became the youngest woman to swim the 20-mile Catalina Channel. At 15, she completed the 28.5-mile Manhattan 20 Bridges swim and also became the youngest person to swim the Molokai Channel. At 16, she crossed the English Channel, earning the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. In March 2025, at 17, she completed New Zealand’s Cook Strait in 14 hours, eight minutes, and 36 seconds – enduring hundreds of jellyfish stings in the process.
“The Cook Strait swim was one of the gutsiest swims I’ve ever seen,” said her father, Chris Merhige, after she finished. “The winds were tough, blowing Maya off course for a bit, but she persevered.”
To make these swims even more impressive, Maya has faced her own medical challenges, which have deepened her connection to the cause. In 2023, after a ski accident, doctors discovered a benign tumor on her pancreas. Hospital stays, surgeries, and ongoing health issues have been given.
Maya has a closer understanding of what patients and families endure during a health crisis. Still, she has kept swimming.
Throughout her swims, Maya has faced challenges head-on. The Molokai/Kaiwi Channel demanded more than 27 consecutive hours in the water and brought close encounters with sharks. The English Channel brought cold currents and exhaustion. The Cook Strait brought rough water, wind, and jellyfish. Each time, Maya returned to the water with the same purpose: to use her swims to help fund cancer research and to honor those facing far greater battles.
The North Channel is now the next test — not just of endurance but of patience. Swim attempts can shift by hours or days depending on weather, tides, and safety conditions. Maya and her support crew will wait for the best possible window, then begin the crossing when pilots determine the conditions are right.
Maya is also moving toward a historic achievement. Guinness World Records currently lists the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven as 20 years and 227 days old. If Maya completes the Tsugaru Strait in 2027, she would be younger than the current listed record, pending official ratification and any future changes to the record before then.
To support Merhige’s swims and fundraising efforts, visit swimacrossamerica.org/maya.
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About Swim Across America: Nationally, Swim Across America has raised more than $150 million for cancer research since its founding in 1987 and has helped fund clinical trials that contributed to the FDA approval of the cancer immunotherapies Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy, and Tecentriq. In the past year, Swim Across America funded a breakthrough clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that showed that immunotherapy alone could successfully treat certain types of cancer. The organization also recently awarded two first-of-its-kind gene-editing innovation grants to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, advancing novel CRISPR gene- and base-editing techniques for targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and cellular therapies. Swim Across America supports more than 60 cancer research projects annually, has eight named Swim Across America labs, and supports work at many of the nation’s leading cancer institutions. Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention, and treatment through swimming-related events. With open water and pool swims in 27 communities across the United States – from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge – Swim Across America, along with the help of thousands of swimmers and volunteers nationwide, and past and current Olympians, is helping find better treatments and a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach, and direct service. To learn more, visit swimacrossamerica.org.
