Ka'iwi Channel
Hawaii's Ka'iwi Channel Signature Open Water Swim
In native Hawaiian, it is called the Ka’iwi (“kah-EVE-ee”) Channel translates to the “Channel of Bones.” It is really open ocean, and the water is a breathtaking blue that cannot be described. The waves can be eight feet high, so some push the swimmer effortlessly; others feel like a truck falling.
32
miles
16 hours
3 minutes
52,228
strokes
July
2016
The swim itself was 32+ miles and started on the west end of the almost deserted Island of Molokai. Because the Hawaiian Islands are really the tops of an underwater mountain range, the water is quite deep (2,300 feet) and there is no protection from other land masses; this swim is really in the open-ocean. As a result, the Channel is known for swells of up to 15 feet. Steady trade winds blow through the Islands, so the swells are usually topped with choppy waves. The water temperature will be considerably more accommodating than it has been for our other swims, and is expected to be in the 75 – 78 range. The channel is also full of wildlife, from jellyfish to stingrays to sharks.
Doug McConnell
Executive Director