Four swimmers from Bermuda put in impressive displays at the St Croix Coral Reef Swim Race in the US Virgin Islands over the weekend, where three of them finished on the podium in their respective age groups.

Craig Munden won the 20-29 age group to finish third overall, Vaughn Rowse took third in the 30-39 age group and twelfth in the field, Sally Cann was the third female in the 40-49 age group, while Christine Patton was fourth in her 60-69 age group.

Munden, the Bermuda open water champion, finished the five-mile race in 1hr 52min 44sec, trailing local swimmer Cole Cullinan by 2:49.

“Having never been to the US Virgin Islands before, I was very excited to take on a new challenge,” Munden told The Royal Gazette.

“The first two miles consisted of a channel swim from Buck Island to the mainland of St Croix. During this crossing, two dolphins swam alongside the lead pack of four swimmers for around ten to 15 minutes and this was an absolutely surreal experience.

“In addition, we were joined by five or six turtles, many starfish and even a tiger shark. Over the next three miles, two of the USVI national team swimmers managed to pull away, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment and I was pleased to finish in third place.

“Overall, I’m really pleased with my racing in 2026, having won the Nevis to St Kitts channel swim, the national open water championships and medals in St Croix and Round the Sound. I’m excited to continue my swimming adventures in 2027.”

Competing outside Bermuda for the first time in more than a decade, Rowse was pleased with how he executed the race. The Bermudian clocked 2:19:19, 9:41 behind Andrew Whitley-Williams, the top swimmer in the age group.

“The race was amazing,” Rowse said.

“It was a beautiful swim and I feel like I did really well. I only just got back into swimming last year so my progress has been really great to see.

“This was my first time swimming overseas since 2013 and it was the perfect race for it. The last few races I’ve done have really started to bring my competitive side back out, so I need to start training harder to get closer to the front.

“At the start of the race there was a pod of dolphins hanging out. I was able to swim over to them and see them up close which was really cool and a brand new experience for me.

“Unfortunately, I was not able to hang with the lead swimmers to see the dolphins swimming with them. The waters were beautiful and there was so much wildlife to see.

“St Croix is a really beautiful island with lots of culture to spread. The locals were all friendly and I’m hoping I can compete in this swim in the future.”