The Lurgan College student set off from Gobbins on Wednesday, 2 July, and reached Portpatrick after an exhausting 16 hours and 38 minutes in the water. While the straight-line distance between the two points is 35km (21.7 miles), strong tidal currents pushed Oscar to swim a total of 46 km (28.5 miles).

Oscar described the experience as “hard to explain,” emotionally overwhelming and mentally gruelling. Despite previously completing the route as part of a relay team at age 14, taking it on alone proved to be a much tougher challenge.

Throughout the swim, he battled powerful currents, jellyfish stings – around 20, from his feet to his face – and moments of serious doubt. “There were times I was asking myself, why am I doing this?” he stated. “It was more mental than physical. But in the end, it was all worth it.”

Support swimmer Jesika Robson joined Oscar at key points during the challenge, helping keep his morale up. “It was emotional to watch,” she said. “I got in to swim beside him when he started drifting off course, especially near the end when he needed to stay focused.”

After finally reaching the Scottish shore, Oscar was met with one last obstacle: the support boat couldn’t dock due to shallow waters, and he had to swim back to it. “I was so exhausted, I couldn´t believe I had to swim again,” he said.

Still, Oscar’s determination and resilience have earned him a place in open-water swimming history.