(MORE INFO ADDED Sunday night – scroll down)

Start of the swim. pic.twitter.com/pzM6pe6GkS — Andrew Malinak (@AndrewSwims) June 6, 2015

That’s how Andrew Malinak began his almost-19-mile swim from Tacoma to West Seattle today – something only one other person was known to have done before – and late this afternoon, he confirmed via Twitter, he made it! Here’s the MarineTraffic.com track of his escort boat:

We previewed his “Return of Bert Thomas” swim here earlier this week; Thomas swam the route southbound in 1956. Malinak says he hopes to emulate Thomas in one other feat later this year, swimming the Strait of Juan de Fuca, something he tried two years ago.

P.S. After arriving at Lincoln Park, Malinak told us via Twitter, the first thing he did was go “down the water slide at Colman Pool”!

P.P.S. If you’re a geek about details, as we are, check out the 24-page plan for today’s swim.

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: Some followup info we’ve obtained from Malinak (who is 28, in case you were wondering): It took 8 hours and 42 minutes, 8:43 am to 5:25 pm. “The whole day went amazingly well: with an on-time departure (2 minutes early), an amazing crew, great weather with sun and lighter-than-forecast winds, a lack of curious orcas, and a route that matched perfectly with the predictions.” Before he tries swimming the Strait in mid-September, he plans to do something he says no one’s done yet – a solo swim around Bainbridge Island.