HONG KONG, Nov 25, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - After 20 hours and 56 minutes of non-stop swimming, Simon Holliday hauls himself up the steps of Disneyland pier, knees almost buckling, to claim a world first.

The British marathon swimmer has just survived rough seas, testing tides and cramp to become the first person to circumnavigate Hong Kong's largest island of Lantau, a distance of over 65 kilometres (40 miles).

Closely following the 46-year-old is the American Edie Hu, who is all smiles as she takes her first tentative steps on dry land after her own odyssey lasting 21 hours and 28 minutes.

"I started getting a little loopy," the 50-year-old Hu told AFP. "I saw Yoda in the mountains."

The pair started their adventure at 2:00 pm on Thursday, the day before, with a third swimmer in the pod, Brett Kruse.

They were accompanied by a small flotilla including three kayaks and a yacht, which AFP joined to document the adventure.

Every 45 minutes the trio is delivered a food pack by the kayakers containing everything from sports gels to bananas and painkillers.

Two observers are on board to take a log of the swim, to be sent to the Marathon Swimmers Federation, which will validate the feat.

They did not wear wetsuits -- marathon swim rules mean they are not allowed in waters above 20 degrees -- so the cold was one of the biggest challenges.

At around 10:00 pm the trio had just got through a tough section of the swim, passing through the narrow strait by Hong Kong's international airport, when Kruse started yelping in agony from cramp and was swiftly pulled onto the safety boat.

There he lay on a table shaking from the cold, crying out in pain, and left with no choice but to retire from the venture.

"I was definitely kind of an anchor on the other two and slowing us down," he told AFP hours later.

He had vomited twice in the sea.

- Plan under threat -

Without the American morale was falling and the meticulous plan for all swimmers to stick together unravelling.

Holliday was suffering from the cold but pulled ahead while Hu maintained a steady pace.

"No plan survives contact with the enemy," quipped ex-army officer Cameron Ferguson, the navigator for the swim.

Ferguson pointed out that the swimmers needed to reach Fan Lau corner by about 2:00 am or they would be defeated by the tides.

The three kayakers had meant to be doing rotating shifts in the water but with the swimmers split up, two were needed at all times and they were pushing through.

Fast forward eight hours and things were looking up -- they were well beyond the critical corner, the sun was rising and the currents were carrying them.

Holliday's wife Maggie joined the safety boat to witness the last chapter of his swim before being dropped at the pier to greet him with a warm hug.

"It feels really good to get out of the water, that last stretch was just so tough," he told AFP as he shared what his first meal would be: "Cheesy beans on toast."