Recommendations for swimming in Hawai'i?

dc_in_sf

I have a ton of hotel/airline points to be used and am thinking of popping over to Hawai'i for the week of Christmas. I've never been so have no idea about the place at all. Keen to find somewhere where I can do some ocean swimming without risk of being run over by jetskis etcetera. Not averse to hiring a kayaker or paddle boarder to do an relaxing escorted swim (<6miles) if anyone has particular recommendations on that front.

Sharko

I will be in Kona over the holdiays....good swimming from the pier south toward the Royal Kona hotel and beyond if you wish...same gereral route of the swim portion of the iron man...there is a local group that meets their in the morning and Peaman's group has a swim on Christmas or New Years...always fun...

evmo

My possibly ill-informed impression is the south-facing shores will tend to offer better swimming conditions in the winter months (huge surf is typical for north-facing shores in winter). So on Oahu, Waikiki will be a better bet than Waimea Bay. On Kauai, Poipu will be a better bet than Hanalei Bay.

heart

which island are you on? I lived in HI for several months and swam in all the islands. Ala Moana, on O'ahu, is best for daily workouts. It's calm and sheltered by a reef, and more like a giant pool. Kailua, on the other side of the island, is beautiful, and tends to be more exciting, chop/swell wise. The North Shore isn't really great for swimming in the winter (better for surfing.)

in Maui, Big Beach and Little Beach are pretty terrific. As to swimming, Napili has a great beach and you can go back and forth, parallel to the beach.

In Kawa'i, Douglass has some salt-water pools that are terrific.

And in the Big Island, there's no beating Kona, triathlon capital of the world. The Ironman buoys are still out there and you can swim the Ironman course. You can also swim on the Hilo side.

Tracey

I second the vote for Kailua on Oahu. The Kailua Masters does an open water swim every Saturday. We vary the location depending on the winds. Distance varies from 1.5-2 miles though we have some members who swim further. Check out our website at kailuamasters.org.

dc_in_sf

Thanks all for the advice!

I haven't picked an island yet, it is somewhat going to be based on which hotels have rooms available, but leaning towards Maui or the Big Island at the moment (Volcanoes!)

Speaking of Maui, I'm wondering if anyone has done swims to Kahoolawe or Molokini from Maui (or vice versa)? They look achievable from a distance perspective, assuming a powered boat escort, not sure of the currents though.

@niek funnily enough I just ordered a SSD a couple of days ago, though I view it more as a gear carrying device for beach swims than a safety device.

evmo

dc_in_sf wrote:

Speaking of Maui, I'm wondering if anyone has done swims to Kahoolawe or Molokini from Maui (or vice versa)?

I think you mean Molokai, not Molokini? Molokini is not really an island, more of an outcropping, and is only 2.5 miles offshore from Maui.

In any case:

- http://www.hawaiiswim.org/hawaiianChannel/alalakeikiChannel.html
- http://www.hawaiiswim.org/hawaiianChannel/PailoloChannel.html

dc_in_sf

evmo wrote:

I think you mean Molokai, not Molokini? Molokini is not really an island, more of an outcropping, and is only 2.5 miles offshore from Maui.

In any case:

- http://www.hawaiiswim.org/hawaiianChannel/alalakeikiChannel.html
- http://www.hawaiiswim.org/hawaiianChannel/PailoloChannel.html

Thanks @evmo !

I was actually looking at Molokini, as this was supposed to be a vacation :-)

Both of those linked channel swims look doable and would be an excellent warmup for Rottnest, so am keen to make one of them happen (assuming ability to organize a boat, support crew etcetera). Pretty much the perfect holiday if I can pull it off :-)

Edit: Apparently the Pailolo Channel is crazy rough, the Maui/Auau channel looks like a better option.

heart

There are numerous boats that take people near Molokini to do snorkeling. Their services are comparable.

If you end up going to the Big Island, I really recommend paying Big Island Divers a visit and booking one of their night snorkeling trips. You'll get to dance with giant stingrays.

heart

Also: If you're on O'ahu, I advise connecting with the awesome and gracious Waikiki Swim Club folks. They put together several races and go on long swim practices together on weekends.

dc_in_sf

@heart Thanks again for the advice!

I've booked Maui initially based on hotel availability, now trying very hard to see if I can get a Maui Channel crossing organized :-)

evmo

dc_in_sf wrote:

Apparently the Pailolo Channel is crazy rough, the Maui/Auau channel looks like a better option.

True, but don't assume you'll get calm conditions in the latter. For the Maui Channel Relays this year we had 25-knot winds. It was great!

bobswims

Last time I was there I swam from Kaanapali Alii to Lahaina and back it was about 10K. if you take a bee line. I was never more than 1/2 mile off shore and encountered no jet skis and the only boats I saw were moored near Lahaina. However, I must have created a stir at the Kaanapali Ali which was at the headland I passed on the way down the coast (out to sea) and returning. I had passed the KA over 3 hours before and when I hit the beach further up the coast I saw a big guy (of Hawaiian decent) staring at me from the walking path. I looked away and when I looked back he was heading back to KA. I don't think they see a lot of old fat farts swimming out to sea alone and making it back alive.

dc_in_sf

bobswims wrote:

Last time I was there I swam from Kaanapali Alii to Lahaina and back it was about 10K. if you take a bee line. I was never more than 1/2 mile off shore and encountered no jet skis and the only boats I saw were moored near Lahaina. However, I must have created a stir at the Kaanapali Ali which was at the headland I passed on the way down the coast (out to sea) and returning. I had passed the KA over 3 hours before and when I hit the beach further up the coast I saw a big guy (of Hawaiian decent) staring at me from the walking path. I looked away and when I looked back he was heading back to KA. I don't think they see a lot of old fat farts swimming out to sea alone and making it back alive.

If I can't organize a Maui channel swim I certainly plan to do something like this. I'm curious though what did you do for feeds? Did you tow a bottle, make landfall or just not drink anything for three hours?

bobswims

I packed 4 Gu's in my suit and drank a lot of water in the hour leading up to the swim just to be sure I was completely hydrated (a trick I learned cycling in Colorado years ago). If I had to do it over I'd tuck something in the back of my suit like the Platypus plusBottle Soft Water Bottle. http://www.rei.com#ooid=tjZG5lMjogyoCOcqX65NnPHaXhJdqjHx
Maybe wear a second old suit and stick it between the 2. It comes in a couple of sizes. In fact I just talked myself into heading down to REI and pick one up, or at least check it out. Santa is bringing me The ISHOF SaferSwimmer™ Float but that might be more than you need and might be a pain to open up in open water. Santa is bringing me one. I used it once this summer and loved it.

dc_in_sf

Thanks Bob,

I actually bought the ISHOF thing with an eye to doing longer escortless swims on this trip. Also thought about just dragging a bottle that was either half empty or attached to a float.

bobswims

I saw a picture a little while back that showed one of the La Jolla folks (a guy) with 3 water bottles tuck in the back between 2 suits. I wish I could get my hands on it. It look hysterical - but obviously was a great functional answer. I can only imagine what people thought when they saw it.

WaterGirl

Try putting the bottle in a neoprene can holder (the kind for keeping beer cold). I sometimes drag the Nalgene OTG flip-top bottle (of @loneswimmer fame). It floats vertically when it's full or half-full. I haven't tried the can holder, but I'm pretty sure it will work.

No matter what you do, though, towing something will slow you down.

dc_in_sf

WaterGirl wrote:

No matter what you do, though, towing something will slow you down.

I'm ok with being slowed down. These swims will be for fun and training :-)

I bought the smaller one of the swimmer safety floats, it's a tight fit to put much else in there if you have a pair of flip flops, most likely scenario would be to attach a bottle to the outside of the SSF itself. End up dragging a train of gear, but still could be interesting.

Sharko

I have towed 3/4 filled 2 liter plastic bottles with little drag effect....I think you could clip your flip flops onto a secondary line and come to think of it you could have a leader with a hook and bait fish attached and troll for a Mahi Mahi to have for lunch...I like that Idea...and will try in Kona....

Sir Sharko

abbygirlrose

Hi all,

I am not sure if this is the right place to post but I am looking for recommendations for organizing a Maui Channel solo. Do I contact a ratifying organization? Do I hire a boat captain and submit a form? What is the safest/right way to go about this? Any suggestions are appreciated!

molly1205

@abbygirlrose Here's a website with the Hawaii channel swimming info: http://www.hawaiiswim.org/hawaiianChannel/rules.html

dc_in_sf

Hi @abbygirlrose I did the swim last year. Gorgeous swim, and fairly easy as far as channel crossings go.

I contacted carl via the web site that @molly1205 linked to (his email is in the rules section). He has a few pilots that he recommends though some of his information is out of date (one of them had passed away and I had awkward conversation with his widow when I rang up to book).

Definitely ring your pilots, I found they were not great at responding to emails initially.

I did Maui to Lanai, which is probably easier logistically, as you want to start the swim reasonably early to avoid the strong winds that can kick in afternoon - it was blowing an absolute gale for our return crossing by boat and I was very glad I was not swimming in that mess. That said I suspect you'd manage the crossing much faster than I so you have a better window. Upside of swimming Lanai to Maui is you can choose to finish at Kaanapli beach and then walk straight into a hotel bar for a Mai Tai ;-)

My pilot used the "leapfrog" technique where he would get a hundred yards or so in front of me, I'd catch up and he'd pull ahead again. He drifted a fair bit as a result so I think there was a bonus mile or two in the course based on the GPS track. You may want to consider a kayaker or having a more detailed conversation with the pilot beforehand if you want a faster track.

abbygirlrose

Thanks so much!

abbygirlrose

How did you connect with a boat captain?

abbygirlrose

Thanks for all the help! I now have a boat captain and have set a swim time frame. Do you recommend also trying to hire a kayaker? While I am very comfortable swimming in California, the possibility of large animals in Maui leaves me irrationally nervous... Any suggestions about how to find a kayaker would be greatly appreciated!

Kagemusha

You do not need a kayaker for the AuAu Channel, but it is always nice to have company (either a kayak escort or another swimmer). If your boat captain does not have a recommendation for a Maui based kayaker, e-mail me and I will gave you contact information for an Oahu based race promoter/director who escorted me on both of my Kaiwi attempts and one of my Kalohi swims.

abbygirlrose

I know this is probably a long shot but I am here in Maui (staying in Kaanapali) if anyone is around to swim