John Guilfoyle swims Rottnest Channel for 33rd time

John is the oldest in his team, The Good Guys.

"We are all friends, the second oldest is 69 and the other two are babies at 63 and 60," he said.

All four have taken part in the swim ever since the inaugural event in 1991.

The iconic 19.7km event in February attracted almost 2700 participants, including solo swimmers and relay teams.

The Good Guys completed the swim in six hours, 11 minutes.

John never tires of the thrill of the swim between Cottesloe Beach on the mainland and Thomson Bay on Rottnest Island.

"It is the best swim in the world and one of the safest," he said.

"The event is well-organised and I always feel safe with the boat driver and paddlers we have.

"It is a badge of honour to swim through any stingers, they just take your mind off any aches and pains.

"When you hit the beach after the swim it is such a sense of elation, it's a real high."

John set aside a rough year to hit the waves, overcoming COVID-19, a broken collar bone and being fit with a pacemaker.

His love of the water started early. Growing up by the beach at Rockingham, he had learned to swim by the age of 12 months.

Now rarely a day goes by when he is not in the surf.

"I couldn't imagine not swimming," he said.

"I volunteer at the Floreat Surf Club, running a program for over 65s called Silver Salties."

John's ambition is for The Good Guys to continue taking part in the Rottnest swim till 2027, when their combined age will officially earn them the crown of the oldest team to compete.