Aloha - Swimming The Channels Of The Hawaiian Isles

One of the Oceans Seven channels is the Kaiwi Channel, a 26-mile (42 km) challenging swim from Molokai to Oahu in Hawaii. There are nine main channels in the Hawaiian Islands - eight of which have been successfully crossed.

These include the following channels and swimmers (including the year crossed):

1. The Kaiwi Channel, 26 miles from Molokai to Oahu:

Mackenzie Miller (shown above in 2009), Mike Spalding, Kelly Gleason, Linda Kaiser (2007), Forrest Nelson (Molokai to Oahu), Forrest Nelson (Oahu to Molokai), Bill Goding (2006), Robin Isayama 1st Female (1994), Mike Miller, Ian Emberson (1979), Jonathan Ezer (1974), Harry Huffaker (Oahu to Molokai in 1972), Harry Huffaker (1967), Keo Nakama (1961)

2. The Kalohi Channel, 9.3 miles from Lanai to Molokai:

Carl Kawauchi (Molokai to Lanai), Mike Spalding (Molokai to Lanai), Laurie Foster, Kelly Gleason, Tom Burke (2007), Carl Kawauchi, Bill Costello, Alton Motobu (1995), Linda Kaiser (Molokai to Lanai), Janice Vierra (1991), Carl Kawauchi (Molokai to Lanai), Terry Chodosh, Ulrich Klinke (1989), Harry Huffaker (Molokai to Lanai in 1989), Bob Justman, Jody Pollack (1978)

3. The Alalakeiki Channel, 7 miles from Kahoolawe to Maui:

Carl Kawauchi, Alton Motobu (2006), Linda Kaiser, Laurie Foster, Mike Spalding (2001), Carl Kawauchi, Ulrich Klinke, Alton Motobu (1992), Bill Lawrence, Solomon Fernandez (1977)

4. The Palilolo Channel, 8.5 miles from Maui to Molokai:

Carl Kawauchi, Chris Palfrey (2009), Bill Goding, Quinn Carver (2008), Billy Brown, Karen Finnerty, Joe Glenn (2006), Jim Sorensen (2005), Ginny Walsh (2004), Carl Kawauchi, Bill Costello, Alton Motobu (1998), Carl Kawauchi (Molokai to Maui in 1993), Dennis Blake, Vernon Knight, Joe Nagi (1993), Carl Kawauchi, Ulrich Klinke (1991), Linda Kaiser, Mike Spalding, Janice Vierra (1990), Harry Huffaker, Jim Jonsson (1989), Jim Caldwell (1973)

5. The Alenuihaha Channel, 30 miles from Hawaii to Maui:

Harry Huffaker (1970), Penny Palfrey, Linda Kaiser (2009)

6. The Kaulakahi Channel, 17 miles from Kauai to Niihau:

Linda Kaiser, Laurie Foster, Mike Spalding, Tom Robinson (2003)

7. The Kealaikahiki Channel, 17 miles from Kahoolawe to Lanai:

Quinn Carver, Bill Goding (2009), Linda Kaiser, Laurie Foster, Mike Spalding (2005)

8. The wildly popular Auau Channel, 8.8 miles from Lanai to Maui:

Todd Robinson, Peter Worland, Bill Goding, Jeff Cleveland, Laurin Weisenthal, James Paisley, Hudson Slay, Scott Berek, Barbara Held, Greg Kearney, Matt Smart, Alastair Hulbert, Bob Lowney, James Goins, John Farrington, John Derr, Tom Heckler, Samantha McIntosh, Chris Palfrey, Penny Palfrey (2009), Peter Attia (double crossing), Elise Baker, Mark Baker, Carey Colbert, Katie Dalgamouni, Patrick Haluptzok, Colin Hortman, Erin Kirley, MacKenzie Miller, Nick Pederson, Rachel Randall, Chance Usrey, Garrett Usrey, Bill Goding, Alan Voisard, Sam Worden, Moby Coquillard, Steve Lowe, Dea Ann Joslin, James Barkman, Doug Pritchard, David Rich, Pam Dickson, Mark Cibula, Becca Mann (age 10), Steve Green (2008), Todd Robinson, Robert Breitel, Bill Goding, Quinn Carver, Lisa Hazen, Chloe McCardel, Peter Worland, Gregg Shields, Teague Soderman, Kevin Smith, Gabriel Mecs, Michelle Santilhano (2007), Todd Robinson, Bill Goding, Forrest Nelson, Matt Smart, Alex Knibbs, Chis Day, Rance Boren, Dea Ann Joslin, Michelle Deasy, Laura Jenkins, Andrew Davis, Ian Murray, Donielle Chitterden, Kawikanoron Cook, Jennifer Locke, Vladimir Dyatchin, Dana Atkins (2006), Marcos Diaz (Lanai To Maui), Bill Goding, Alan Bell, Michelle Deasy, Brad Horner, Kevin Polansky, Shery Kitrell, Shane Collins, Debbie Collins, Amer Rhett, Chad Schneider, Steve Royce, Alice Wong, Steve Diforte, Elise Baker, Kaylen Baker, Aaron Schmaltz, Sean Schmaltz, Jorge Gago, Michelle Vawer, Rachel Randall, Terry Richmond, Mark Baker, Tommy Randall, Billy Brown (Maui to Lanai), Joe Glenn (2005), Bill Goding, Alan Bell, Abel Tong, Bruckner Chase, Bill Dick, Graham Johnston, David Harrison, Bernd Straehie, Deann Joslin, Aaron Schmaltz, Paulo de Azevedo, Mike Miller, Jessa Baker, Elise Baker, Mackenzie Miller, Mark Baker (2004), Bill Goding, Paul Lundgren, Bob Childs, Douglas Bosley, Kevin Smith, Kak Cook, Kiko Aumond, Shane Collins, John Farrington, Rick Avila, Carol Sing, Debbie Collins, Laura Colette, Carl Kawauchi (Maui to Lanai), Alton Motobu, Bill Costello, John Nielsen, Jim Emmons, Billy Brown (2003) James Sorenson, Adrienne Mason, Bill Goding, Dave Matthews, Mason Bailey, Craig Taylor, Emily Evans, Becky Jackman, Laura Colette, Christiana Tangora, Mike Miller, Malcolm Cooper (2002), Bill Goding, Dan Veatch, Dave Matthews, Patrick Mcmillan, Deaann Joslin, Anne Cleveland, Richard LeBolt, Laura Colette (2001), Anne Cleveland, Debbie Collins, Shane Collins, Ken Harmom, Dave Matthews (2000), Jim Mellon, John Derr, Bruce Wetta (1999), John Dunbar, Cheryl Loomis (1997), Mike Coyle, Jeff Hawk (1996), Chana Motobu (1995), Robin Isayama, Tom Billings (1993), Katie Anderson, Langley Frisell, Chad Harrison, Leif Johnson (1991), Rick Heltzel, Mike Miller (1990), Janice Vierra, Linda Kaiser, Gary Morita, Tony Rivera, Peter Kang, Alton Motobu, Keith Arakaki, Alfie Calpito, Ham Homan, Steve Watkins, Mari Okazaki, Tina Niell, Charlie Hansen, Gary Gibo, Bruce Jamieson, Harry Huffaker, Harry Huffaker (1989), Sarah Burch, Mike Sullivan, Cliff Pollard, Jeff Conner, Amy Williams, Bill Tucker, Elizabeth Kent (1988), Harry Huffaker, Carl Kawauchi, Ulrich Klinke, Terry Chodoshi, Bruce Sloan, Chris Cox, Ken Frank, Vernon Knight, Jim Krueger, Tim McNulty, Steve Rudolph, Peter Schegel, Diane Stowell (1987), Steve Bobko, Ian Emberson, Rick Heltzel, Mike Miller, Doug Rice (1984), Jim Cole, Marc Feizner, Mike Spalding, Jim Krueger, Carol Lee (1983), Bob Luce, Bob Justman, Judy Collins, Doug Rice (Lanai to Maui), Steve Bobko, Gary Niemeyer, Richard Merritt, Bill Goding, Jim Roumasset, Archie Hapai (1977), Jim Caldwell (1970)

9. The ninth and as-yet-uncrossed channel is the Kaieiewaho (Kauai) Channel, 63 very challenging nautical miles between Oahu and Kauai that was attempted in the 1970's by Jonathan Ezer who faced literally a wall and sea of water with tremendous winds and ocean swells. While the maximum depth of the Auau Channel (Lanai-Maui) is 108 feet (33 meters), the depth of the Kaiwi Channel (Molokai-Oahu) is 2,300 feet (701 meters) and the depth of Alenuihaha Channel (Hawaii-Maui) is 6,100 feet (1,900 meters), the depth of the Kaieiewaho Channel (Kauai-Oahu) is over 10,000 feet (3,040 meters).

In our opinion, if anyone crosses the Kaieiewaho Channel, it will surely be one of the great moments in open water swimming history.

Copyright © 2010 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Clearing The Water In Channel Swims

Ron Collins, founder of the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim commented on our previous story on the Greatest Fears of Open Water Swimming.

Ron asked about the bottom and how many injuries are caused by open water swimmers cutting themselves on a sharp rock or on coral as they get in or out of the water?

He observed on how people fear events that have no - or little - chance of happening versus at common injury in the real world.

He has a point.

How many people have successfully completed the English Channel or the Catalina Channel - fighting currents, ocean swells and hypothermia hour after hour, occasionally surrounded by sharks and frequently stung by jellyfish, pushing themselves to the outer limits of human endurance in the water...only to safely arrive to the distant shore - and they get cut or hurt on the rocks at the very end of their swim?

We have seen cuts, bruises and, on one extreme occasion, broken ribs as the athlete was navigating between the rocks.

According to the rules of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, "For a swim to be officially recognized, a swimmer must cross the channel from the natural connecting shore, touch the opposite natural connecting shore and clear the water."

According to the English Channel governing body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, "For a swim to be officially recognised, the swimmer must walk into the sea from the shore of departure, swim across the English Channel (i) to finish on dry land, or (ii) to touch steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no sea-water beyond. Swimmers may finish in harbour water provided they land as in (i)."

According to the English Channel governing body, the Channel Swimming Association, "For a Swim to be officially recognised, the swimmer must enter the sea from the shore of departure, swim across the English Channel and finish on dry land, or touch steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no seawater beyond. Swimmers may finish in harbour water provided they land as noted above."

According to the Gilbraltar Strait Swimming Association (Asociación Para El Cruce A Nado Del Estrecho De Gibraltar), "The crossing starts from the boat located at Tarifa Island and the swimmer must touch the rocks. The crossing will end at a natural point on the Morroccan coast or, in the case where that may be a difficult point to access by the boats, when the event is considered to have been sufficiently carried out, touching morrocan land or entering in a natural bay."

The Tsugaru Channel, the Cook Strait, swims in the Great Lakes of North America, the North (Irish) Channel, the Molokai Channel and other channels in the Hawaiian Islands follow the English Channel rules - whether the swimmers have to navigate around rocks, jetties, cliffs and/or large surf.

So for channel swimmers to successfully and safely achieve their goals, it is always best to "clear the water" with the same mindset of care onshore as is utilized between shores.

Upper photo shows Laurin Weisenthal finishing on the French shore after an English Channel swim of 8:33. Lower photo shows Mackenzie Miller finishing up on the Oahu shore after a Molokai Channel swim of 14:52.

Copyright © 2009 by Open Water Source

Nurturing Success In The Channel

We wrote a nature vs. nurture story earlier this year about cold-water swim preparations.

What is more important to swim well in cold water, a swimmer’s innate qualities (e.g., body fat percentage and mental toughness) or the swimmer’s training and acclimatization to cold water through hard work and commitment?

One 25-year-old former pool swimmer of slender build (170 cm, 54.4 kg or 5'-7", 120 lbs. or 8.5 stone), Laurin Weisenthal, is one example that nurture (i.e., hard training) played a very important role in her solid performance yesterday in the English Channel.

Laurin, in her first major marathon swim and first try in the English Channel swam a quick 8:33.

She said, "I had a great day: very calm, sunny, warm water. I got sliced on the rocks, but totally worth it. Karri (sister) and Neal (fiance) had to practically pry me off the rock I was clinging to, I just wanted to rest so badly."

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Staying Warm With Brown Fat

English Channel aspirant Laurin Weisenthal wrote a fascinating article on brown fat vs. white fat in her blog. Her May 7th article follows:

When I first started on this journey to conquer the English Channel, people emphasized two things to me:

Cold exposure: I needed to spend a lot of time in cold water so that I would "get used to it"

Weight gain: Nearly everyone who found out I wanted to swim the Channel would look me over and say, "you’re gonna have to put on some weight!"

This raised some issues in my head. To address the second point, intentionally gaining weight for an athletic endeavor seems unhealthy to me. To address the first, what does "getting used to it" actually mean? It can’t just be a mental thing that allows your body to adapt to spending hours on end in cold water. There had to be some corresponding physiological change that allowed the body to tolerate cold better.

The Difference Between a White Fat Cell (fat storage) and a Brown Fat Cell (heat factory)

One possibility people have raised is the existence of brown fat. Unlike white fat, which is found under the skin, deposits of brown fat are present around vital internal organs and along the back and sternum. Further, brown fat has mitochontria: it is metabolically active. White fat is not. This means that brown fat is capable of generating ATP. Or, more simply, brown fat generates heat.

The only problem with this theory is that brown fat was only thought to be present in infants. No one had ever detected brown fat in adults. However, in the April publication of the New England Journal of Medicine, not one, but THREE independent labs proved the existence of brown fat in adults. Further, using different experiments, all three groups demonstrated that prolonged exposure to cold resulted in an increase in an adult’s amount of brown fat.

Summary: brown fat generates heat. Exposure to cold increases an individual’s brown fat. More brown fat = more heat = you can stay warmer in cold longer.

Beautiful.

Going back to the two points: point 1 addresses the way to increase brown fat, while point 2 addresses the way to increase white fat.

Sure, white fat can provide *some* increased insulation. But brown fat not only insulates the core (the most important part of the body to keep warm), it also acts as a heat factory. Hence the way you can “get used to” the cold.

Here’s an even cooler implication of this discovery: you can train for the Channel even when you aren’t actually swimming! Any time you expose your body to the cold, you are helping your body produce more brown fat, thereby increasing your cold tolerance.

In light of these publications, I’m finally taking the advice of my friend: I’m now going around with bare legs and flip-flops, whether rain, shine, wind, whatever, intentionally exposing myself to being cold to increase my brown fat stores. In my opinion, it’s a more healthy approach to cold water swimming, though it earns me some funny looks when I’m sporting a skirt and Rainbows in the arctic South San Francisco winds.

For the abstracts of these super cool papers, see below:

Identification and Importance of Brown Adipose Tissue in Adult Humans

Functional Brown Adipose Tissue in Healthy Adults

Cold-Activated Brown Adipose Tissue in Healthy Men

While some marathon swimmers purposefully gain weight to help them acclimate to cold water, there are many successful Channel swimmers who focus on getting acclimated naturally without weight gain.

Laurin's approach reminds us of Duke Nelson's approach to cold-water training in the 1930's.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Urination in the Open Water

Open water swimmers hydrate before getting in the water. Then, they continue to hydrate while they are in the water, whether it is in training, during a race or in the middle of a solo swim. Like many young swimmers in a pool, Open water swimmers often feel the need to relieve themselves.


Physiologically, it is natural to feel the need to relieve ourselves in the water for a variety of reasons: a full bladder, warm water or the excitement of the challenge.

We asked dozens of open water swimmers several questions about this topic that everyone knows about, but rarely discusses:

1. Have you ever felt the need to urinate while swimming in the open water?
2. If so, how often? Every time, frequently, occasionally or rarely?
3. Have you relieved yourself while swimming in the open water?
4. Is it difficult or easy for you to relieve yourself in the open water?
5. How exactly do you relieve yourself?
6. Have you ever NOT relieved yourself even though you felt a need? If so, why?
7. After your swim or race, do you feel the need to relieve yourself?

Their answers – male or female, young or older – were quite similar whether or not the individual was a marathon swimmer or a short-distance swimmer (i.e., under 5K). Not surprisingly, nearly everyone does it - or has felt the need to do it.

For most swimmers, a reduction in their kick is all it takes. Some swimmers go from a four- or six-beat kick down to a two-beat kick and urinate without any problems. Other swimmers need to stop kicking and concentrate while they let their legs drag. Others completely drop of their hips or stop altogether and go vertical to urinate. A few cannot go at all due to either cold water or the proximity of a support crew or officials of the opposite gender.

Dr. Larry Weisenthal, an avid open water swimmer, tells us that the bladder can hold up to about 500 ml of urine. Generally, humans start to want to urinate after the bladder reaches the 200-250 ml range.

Cold-water swimmer Laurin Weisenthal, who swims in the cold San Francisco Bay, raised the issue of urinating in cold water which can be difficult. "Your whole body is tightening up from the cold, so relaxing the required muscles requires effort. Plus, you are still working to swim forward and to generate heat. The effort of the initial 'starting to go' phase requires at least a slowing down of forward propulsion activities, if not outright cessation [in some cases]."

As Dr. Weisenthal explains, "Urine comes from the blood via the kidneys [so] it is nice and warm. Probably warmer than the blood of a swimmer who is fighting hypothermia. Kind of like a nice little hot water bottle, inside your body."

Marathon swimmers who have experienced the beginning stages of hypothermia have problems urinating because the bladder and kidney start to shut down in the early stages of hypothermia. The experienced open water swimmers agreed that cold water does often require a more focused approach. As one swimmer explained, "In cold water, [urination] is a lot more challenging. I slow my kick and use a combination of pushing, clenching, and relaxing my lower abdominal muscles to start urinating. Once I've started, I drag my legs and totally relax my lower body to make sure I don't "lose it" before I'm fully done. The colder the water and the longer I've been in it, the harder it is."

Conversely, many swimmers find that as their body temperature increases, the ease of being able to urinate also increases. Many have no problem whatsoever in warm-water conditions. "I adjust my leg position a little bit and pause for a brief second [and go]."

Another swimmer explains, "In shorter races, while it's nothing I plan in advance, if the situation does arise I don't hesitate and…I always receive a psychological boost from the momentary feeling of warmth in my swimsuit. It's kind of like swimming through a warm spot."

Triathletes and multi-sport athletes face other considerations. One Ironman triathlete explains, "…at the Ironman, I hydrated so well that I actually had to 'go' twice within 2.4 miles and I knew that it would be easier and neater to take care of it while I was still in the water rather than waiting to do so on the bike (which also occurred anyway). Each time I did, I imagined that my bladder, now empty, had gone from neutral buoyancy while full of fluid to positive buoyancy when empty. I imagined myself gaining a bit of the triathlon wetsuit speed effect and, both times, I tossed-in a small surge that propelled me past several other swimmers in the field. As you can see, psychology (i.e. self-deception) is a consideration."

Swimming with a full bladder can be uncomfortable and take away from your enjoyment or speed, especially as your swim increases in length. One veteran swimmer frankly explained the general consensus of the community, "Not peeing when you need to is painful. My stomach hurts, I definitely can't eat or drink anything more, which is really bad when you're doing a long swim...and it's distracting."

Of course, as Dr. Jim Miller, the USA Swimming national open water swimming team physician, says, "No need to practice these techniques during pool workouts."

But, go if you must [in the open water]. And, go if you can.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Cold Water Preparation: Nature or Nurture?

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

It’s cold outside. The water is also cold – freezing cold in many locations. Throughout the winter months, there are a large and growing number of Polar Bear Swims around the world. The swims range from Hawaii (Maui Polar Bear Fin Swim) to Finland (Finnish Winter Swimming Championships).

What is the best way to prepare for these cold-water swims? It reminds us of the nature vs. nurture debate. Modifying this classic debate for our sport, is an open water swimmer’s innate qualities (e.g., body fat percentage, natural ability to withstand cold water, mental toughness, ability to push oneself) more important than the swimmer’s personal experiences (e.g., amount of training and acclimatization to cold water) when determining one’s ability to swim well in cold water?

One 25-year-old former pool swimmer of slender build (170 cm, 54.4 kg or 5'-7", 120 lbs.), Laurin Weisenthal, is one example that nurture certainly plays a very important role in cold-water swimming performance.

The background of this nature vs. nurture debate is the Dolphin Club's annual Polar Bear Challenge in San Francisco. The competitors attempt to swim 64K (40 miles) between December 21st to March 21st when the air ranges between 4° and 10°C (40° - 50°F) and the water is between 8.3°-10.6°C (47° - 51°F).

Records for the Polar Bear Challenge include (1) the shortest number of days to 40 miles, (2) the shortest total elapsed time to complete 40 miles (including rest and re-warming periods), and (3) the total number of miles completed. The swims take place in Aquatic Park, a protected cove influenced by tidal currents.

The total elapsed time competitions are unique in that they subject the swimmer to multiple repetitive periods of hypothermia and re-warming throughout the course of several days. In laboratory rats, repetitive cold water swim stress, with intermittent re-warming periods, produced what psychologists call 'learned helplessness' and 'behavioral despair'.

The repetitive chilling and re-warming cycles produce unique psychological challenges beyond the obvious physical challenges. Many (if not most) people in our open water swimming community who do cold water swims agree they are quite happy to warm up and they do not relish the thought of quickly re-entering the water for another cold-water swim on the same day.

The existing record for the "Fastest 40" was set by Daniel Considine in March 2008. Daniel completed the 64K Polar Bear Challenge in 3 days, 12 hours and 43 minutes (84 hours and 43 minutes).

Daniel's record was broken in the last week of 2008 by Laurin who completed 65K (40.5 miles) in a total time of 2 days, 12 hours (60 hours flat). Laurin swam 14.5 miles (23.3K) in five segments in 11 hours in 10.3°C (50.6°F) water on Day 1, 11.5 miles (18.5K) in five segments in 10 hours in 10.0°C (50°F) on Day 2, and 14.5 miles (23.3K) in six segments in 12 hours in 9.8°C (49.6°F) water on Day 3.

Laurin, who was coached and escorted by veteran Reuben Hechanova, explained her preparation, "I had been swimming in Aquatic Park since September, about 2.5-3 miles 2 or 3 times a week. The Sunday before the Polar Bear Challenge started, I wanted to see how my body would react, so I did 3 x 2-mile swims in 52°F (11°C) water in Aquatic Park, resting and re-warming similar to what I was going to do during the actual Challenge. After that, I decided it wasn't so bad, so I figured I'd just go for it!"

Laurin emerged from San Francisco Bay after each swim segment with moderate to severe subjective hypothermia according to her father who is a physician. Her re-warming routine consisted of 20 minutes in a shower (cold, then warm, then hot) while she consumed a portion of a baked potato, warmed Clif Bar electrolyte drinks, and 100 calorie GU energy gels. She then spent 20 minutes in a sauna. Dressed in boots, a swim parka, and a ski cap, she then rested for an additional 20 to 40 minutes at room temperature before preparing for the next water entry and swim.

Video clips of Laurin’s swims are here.

So it is nature or nurture? A combination perhaps?

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association