The 47-year-old failed in an attempt to swim the famous stretch three years ago but is determined not to be beaten when he takes the plunge again this August.

“Not having completed it last time I’m definitely a lot more passionate this time,” he said.

Mr Evans will have a two week window to attempt his 2010 Channel swim, hoping to take his first stroke in near-perfect conditions.

This would go some way to erasing memories of his 2007 attempt when testing conditions conspired to make the swim beyond his reach. Forced to swim in a choppy sea at night (it’s a lot harder to dodge waves when you can’t see them coming), Mr Evans battled leg cramps for more than hour before finally having to surrender.

None of the combatants attempting the channel swim that night completed their task.

“I got a bit of an aresekicking last time . . . Any time you’re in the ocean when the ocean picks up it’s going to win,” he said.

But with months of intensive training under his belt as well as lessons learnt from 2007, he is more than primed for his latest attempt.

Mr Evans will be supported by his wife Annette and friends Garry and Stephanie Fletcher on the swim. He will return to Australia after a well-deserved European holiday following the channel attempt.