75 Years And Counting Down
Courtesy of Mike Lewis, Ola Vista Photography, California. After the Waikiki Roughwater Swim was called due to unsafe conditions, Dr. Harry Huffaker took the cancellation in stride.
With large swells relentlessly crashing upon the outer coral reef in Waikiki Bay due to a perfect storm of hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean, the 75-year-old Hall of Fame marathon swimmer from Idaho has seen these conditions before. He nonchalantly stretched, rested and went about his normal preparations for another 26-mile ocean swim. In most of his previous channel crossings in Hawaii, all accomplished in the previous century, the conditions were almost never good and his waiting periods (“windows“) would often stretch from days to weeks to months.
“If there is anything that channel swimming teaches you, it is patience,” said the retired dentist whose window of opportunity for crossing the Molokai Channel is soon to begin.
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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