Gu Ming swims across the Qiongzhou Strait. Top right: A map showing Gu's route across the water. [Photo/provided to China Daily]

After 18 hours and 35 minutes, Gu Ming finished a 40.7-kilometer swim back and forth across the Qiongzhou Strait, becoming the second person to complete the feat.

The strait is the body of water between Hainan Island and the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong province, with an average width of 29.5 kilometers. The 43-year-old finished his swim on the west coast of Haikou, Hainan province, at 12:10 am on June 12.

"I made it. I was all scratched up, but it was the most solemn and stirring experience of my life," Gu wrote on his WeChat, a social messaging and sharing app, just 18 minutes after finishing the swim.

Gu works at a power supply company in Nantong, Jiangsu province. He started to swim because he wanted to get fit enough to go on mountain climbing trips, but he gradually fell in love with the sport and would swim 1,500 meters every day.

At 5:35 am on June 11, Gu entered the sea from Xinbu Island, Haikou, and started to swim south to the opposite bank. A yacht and two fishing vessels formed a triangle shape in the water to escort him on his challenge.

The conditions were good, with the water temperature at 27.4 C and the waves at no more than a meter high. After swimming 18.3 km in 8 hours, Gu arrived at the cape of Xuwen county, Guangdong province, before turning around to swim back.

Two hours later, however, it began to rain heavily, accompanied by lightning and huge waves. Gu had to slow down and was challenged by the bad weather. He said when he arrived ashore; he had many bruises and couldn’t talk the next day because his tongue had been soaked in the sea for such a long time.

"I was passionate in the morning but had a breakdown and was in despair in the evening. With waves roiling the sea, you know what despair really means," Gu told Nan- tong Daily via QQ, an instant messaging software.

The newspaper broadcast the entire swim on its micro- blog and many netizens sent their best regards to Gu online. The story received more than 100,000 hits within 20 hours. One person commented, "It was not only Gu's adventure across the strait, but also the adventure of all sport fans who love challenge."

Gu expressed his gratitude to those who had helped him and attributed his success to their support and encouragement. One corporation offered him 30,000 yuan ($4,827) in sponsorship, a swimsuit manufacturing company provided him with their products and netizens from Nantong raised 15,000 yuan for him.

It wasn't the first time Gu swam in the waters of the strait. In May 2012, he swam 39.2 km across the strait in 12 hours and 12 minutes.

He then decided he wanted to make "a round trip" and become the second person to do so, following policeman and former professional swimmer Li Yidong, from Beijing, who did it in 2003 after he had retired from the sport. Last October, Gu went to Beijing especially to visit Li and made a professional training plan with his help. After that, Gu embarked on a strict six- month training program.

In the first three months, he swam 5,000 to 7,000 meters every day, including basic exercises such as kicking. From March, he started long- distance training without stops, such as seven-hour, eight-hour and even 24-hour swims.

Like many swimming fans, Li watched Gu's swimming challenge and reminded him to "be careful" and "take his time" and sent his congratulations when he finished.

By Ding Congrong and Jiang Jianhua