Diu, Jan. 9 -- The mention of Open Water or Sea Swimming normally puts focus on endurance swimming that has been made popular by the likes of Mihir Sen and Bula Chowdhary, who conquered the English Channel decades ago.

Since then, swimming enthusiasts have been braving the waves from Dharamtar to Gateway in India, hoping to conquer the sea and make a name for themselves by breaking the record as the youngest to swim the distance, according to a KIBG release.

Those dreams suffered a setback when the English Channel adopted a rule that only swimmers over 14 years old could attempt the swim, and most other expeditions adopted the same rule.

One of Maharashtra's team managers, Neha Sapte, swam from Dharamtar to Gateway when she was just ni...