02/08/2026
北海峽 - 我在鬼門關前走了一遭。
游泳後 72 小時，我終於可以躺平睡覺，並且醒來完全沒有想咳嗽。
直到現在，我才有辦法冷靜地回頭思考，那一天到底發生了什麼。
有些人可能會說：「都已經游完了，還想這些做什麼？」
但對我來說，弄清楚原因，可能會影響我未來每一次海峽游泳。
最後四個小時，天氣急遽惡化。下著雨、風越來越大、海面變得破碎混亂，水溫也降到了 13.7°C。
最後三個小時，我幾乎不停地咳嗽，我每一划都需要吸氣、吸完氣就在水中咳嗽、再吸氣、再咳嗽⋯感覺像一直有痰需要咳出來，最後甚至開始換氣過度⋯當時，我一直以為只是吸到了海水。
但身為一名有經驗的開放水域泳者，我游過比這更惡劣的海況，卻從來沒有出現過這樣的咳嗽。
我繼續游泳，只是每一次換氣都變得越來越困難，最後 500 公尺，我甚至必須改成蛙式，才能勉強吸到足夠的空氣。
游完回到船上後，我開始咳出粉紅色、帶有血絲的痰，立刻前往醫院。但因為等待時間太長，最後沒有看到醫生。
就在等待的過程中，我恢復了正常排尿，咳嗽也逐漸停止，呼吸慢慢改善。
和幾位有過類似經驗的人討論後，我認為自己很可能發生了 SIPE（Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema，游泳誘發性肺水腫）。
SIPE 是一種游泳時肺部滲出液體所造成的肺水腫，會導致呼吸困難、持續咳嗽，以及咳出粉紅色或帶血的痰。嚴重時，甚至可能危及生命。
這幾天，我一直反覆回想最後幾個小時的每一個細節。
其中一個最大的改變，是補水策略。
最後四個小時，我把補給頻率從每 30 分鐘改成每 20 分鐘，但我們沒有同步減少每次補給的水量，因此整體水分攝取增加了不少。
我無法確定這就是造成 SIPE 的原因，但加上冷水、長時間高強度游泳，以及身體長時間承受極限負荷，我相信這很可能是其中一個促成因素。
其實，我以前就知道 SIPE。
但真正發生在自己身上時，我完全沒有認出它。
直到現在回頭看，才驚覺當時的情況可能有多危險。
那也是我這麼多年海峽游泳以來，第一次真正感覺到，自己離死亡可能只有一步之遙。
這次經歷，讓我真正明白了一件事。
「海峽游泳，真的是一項極限運動。
它的容錯率非常低。」
一個看似微不足道的改變：多喝了一點水、體溫下降一些，或是沒有及時辨認身體發出的警訊，都可能讓一次原本順利的游泳，變成一場危及生命的意外。
我們花了無數時間訓練身體。
但了解風險、辨識風險，和在關鍵時刻做出正確判斷，與體能一樣重要。
我很慶幸，自己最後平安回到了岸上。
如果我的經驗，能幫助哪怕一位長泳或冷水游泳的人，更早認識 SIPE、更早察覺身體發出的警訊，或因此避免犯下和我一樣的錯誤，那麼分享這段經歷，就有它的價值。
———
A Close Call in the North Channel
72 hours after my swim, I’m finally able to lie flat in bed and wake up without the urge to cough.
Only now have I been able to think clearly about what happened.
Some people might say, “It doesn’t matter anymore. You made it.”
But to me, understanding what happened could make all the difference in every future swim.
During the final 4 hours of the North Channel, the weather deteriorated rapidly. It was raining, windy, the sea turned rough, and the water temperature dropped to 13.7°C.
For the last 3 hours, I couldn’t stop coughing until it led to hyperventilation. I breathe, I cough underwater, I breathe again, I cough again…I thought I’d simply inhaled some seawater. But despite years of open-water swimming, I’d never experienced anything like it.
I kept swimming.
By the final 500 metres, I had to switch to breaststroke just to breathe.
After finishing, I realised I was coughing up pink, blood-streaked sputum and went straight to the hospital.
After speaking with others who had experienced similar symptoms, I believe I most likely suffered SIPE (Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema)—fluid leaking into the lungs during swimming, causing severe breathing difficulty, persistent coughing, and sometimes blood-tinged sputum. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening.
Looking back, one thing stands out.
During the last four hours, we increased my feeding frequency from every 30 to every 20 minutes but didn’t reduce the water in each feed. I can’t say this caused the SIPE, but combined with prolonged cold-water swimming, I believe it may have contributed.
I’ve read about SIPE.
But I didn’t recognise it when it was happening.
For the first time in all my years of channel swimming, I realised how close I might have been to losing my life.
Channel swimming truly is an extreme sport.
The margin for error is incredibly small.
A seemingly minor change can turn a successful swim into a life-threatening emergency.
We spend countless hours training our bodies, but understanding the risks is just as important.
I’m incredibly grateful that I made it safely back to land.
The goal isn’t just to finish the swim. It’s to make it safely back to land.
If sharing my experience helps even one swimmer recognise SIPE earlier, then this story is worth telling.
