Bengaluru Masters team becomes first Asian squad to double-cross Catalina Channel
The six-member team completed the demanding two-way Catalina Channel relay on September 10–11, 2026, in 29 hours and 24 minutes, subject to final ratification. The feat represents only the 12th successful double crossing of the Catalina Channel since 1991 and the first by an Asian team, according to the team’s expedition report. The SwimLife Orcas were guided by Coach Satish Kumar Mohan, 49, Founder of SwimLife Academy, Vice President of the Swimming Federation of India and Secretary of the Karnataka Swimming Association. The six swimmers comprised Meghana Mayya, 48, Senior Director–Technology at Lowe’s India; Varuna Mayya, 43, Principal Technical Specialist at Nokia Networks; Sindhu Naropanth, 41, Senior Tech Program Manager at Walmart Global Technologies; Nikhil Mysore Manjunath, 35, Associate Director at LTIMindtree; Siddhartha Agarwal, 52, Founder of Bhoruka Park; and team captain Sumanth Naropanth, 45, founder of Indian cybersecurity companies Deep Armor and Gauntlet.
Srinivasa congratulated the swimmers and their coach on the “extraordinary achievement”. He appreciated their physical endurance, mental resilience, discipline and exceptional teamwork, noting that their accomplishment was a matter of pride for India and the Indian community in the United States. He particularly commended the team for raising the Indian Tricolour on the shores of Southern California after completing an endurance challenge in one of the world’s demanding open-water environments.