Teen Conquers Icy Waters and raises $150K For Kids!

Quick Smiles:

• A 17-year-old swimmer braved jellyfish stings and freezing waters to conquer New Zealand’s Cook Strait.
• She’s on track to become the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven open-water challenges.
• Her swims have raised $150,000 for pediatric cancer research, inspired by her own health journey.

New Zealand’s Cook Strait is notorious for its tempestuous waters, unpredictable currents, and an abundance of jellyfish. Yet, for 17-year-old Maya Merhige, it was just another step toward her ambitious goal: becoming the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven, a series of the world’s most challenging open-water swims.

The California teen, who hails from Berkeley, has already swum across the English Channel, the Catalina Channel near Los Angeles, and Hawaii’s Moloka’i Channel. In April, she set her sights on the Cook Strait, a daunting 13.67-mile stretch separating New Zealand’s North and South islands. However, due to strong currents, her swim ended up covering an exhausting 27 miles.

Marathon swimming rules meant Maya could only wear a swimsuit, leaving her exposed to 60-degree waters and the jellyfish she feared most.

“Even when I was getting in the water, I was already like: ‘I’m so scared. I don’t want to see jellyfish,’” Maya shared.

Her fears were justified. Every few strokes, she was stung, leaving welts on her arms, face, and even her lips. Despite the pain, Maya pushed forward, fueled by determination and the sight of shooting stars illuminating the night sky.

“Swimming the Cook Strait was a hard, but incredible experience,” she shared. “The jellyfish stings, unpredictable currents and wind presented unique challenges, but knowing that my efforts contribute to cancer research kept me motivated.”

Maya’s mission is deeply personal. After surviving a benign pancreatic tumor in 2023, she linked her swims to a nonprofit supporting cancer research. Inspired by her own journey and a close friend who is a cancer survivor, Maya has raised an impressive $150,000 to support pediatric cancer research.

Her Cook Strait swim took 14 hours, eight minutes, and 36 seconds to complete. Along the way, she was cheered on by her father, her coach Kelly Gentry, and her godparents, who followed her progress from a nearby boat.

Now, with four of the seven swims under her belt, Maya is preparing for the remaining three: the Strait of Gibraltar, the North Channel, and Japan’s Tsugaru Strait. If she completes them by January 2028, she will make history as the youngest person to conquer the Oceans Seven.

But for Maya, the journey is about more than records. She shared, “One of the main reasons that I would like to complete the Oceans Seven is because of the opportunities that it gives me to explore the world and meet such cool groups of people. I love how different each swim is, and how they all come with different challenges and highlights.”

She added, “I am constantly learning more about myself and the world. Also, all of the swims are in incredible places that I would be lucky to have the opportunity to visit. The Oceans Seven is just more inspiration to push my limits, try new things, and explore around the world!”

With her courage, resilience, and passion for helping others, Maya is proving that even the toughest challenges can be tackled one stroke at a time.

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