How long does it take to swim from Turkey to Greece?
Hussam Jaban, a 21-year-old English literature student from Syria, said it took about four hours to swim from the small Turkish resort of Kas to the eastern Greek island of Castellorizo.
Jaban told The Associated Press that he swam with 12 other people "and we all made it." He said the group "had a small inflatable boat for a three-year-old child and we pushed it along."
Speaking Wednesday as he crossed into Macedonia, Jaban said he swam to avoid paying smugglers and keep enough money for the rest of the long journey through Europe to seek safety.
Thousands of refugees and migrants are still attempting to cross into Europe by boat, despite choppy seas.
Early Wednesday, the Greek coast guard rescued a boatload of migrants stricken in a 15-foot swell off the coast of Lesbos.
