Only very specialized outdoor long distance swimmers get to swim the channel.
Although it is only 22 miles wide it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and is very tidal. At times even experienced swimmers can be swimming backwards or sideways.
You can see the cliffs on the other side on a clear day and it doesn't seem so far, but even in summer the water doesn't get above 10C.
The Syrian refugees that died are unlikely to have understood the dangers of what they attempted.
I've swum in the English Channel but only for a few minutes at a time, I respect all that cold water and know my limits.
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