A Long Swim Ends Short Of Shore
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. After 16 hours 3 minutes as he was pushed far north of his goal, Doug McConnell has swum a total of 49.6 km, but he was still short of walking up onshore on Oahu to complete his planned Molokai Channel crossing.
Don Sammons reported, “They pulled Doug out for safety reasons [as the] conditions were incredibly dangerous. He obviously would have completed that wild 42 km had the weather not made a wild change.”
Russ Meyer added, “They pulled Doug out with less than 2 km to go. He was exhausted in 6-8 foot swells, rain, and opposing currents and off course. They started 5 hours late due to conditions, but he swam through the night. At one point, he was 2 miles off course due to tides.“
Mike Markley wrote, “There’s only a handful of people in the world who have the strength and heart to take on a swim like that. Makapu’u Point [on Oahu where McConnell had been involuntarily swept towards] can be treacherous. Your team did the right thing pulling you out [to avoid a night landing on a rocky volcanic shoreline].”McConnell said, “The swim was a monster. I’ve never seen conditions like that and I am told they can get much worse.” He is shown with Ka’iwi Channel Advisor Linda Kaiser and his escort boat pilot Matt Buckman.
GPS track is courtesy of Evan Morrison of the Marathon Swimming Federation.
Copyright © 2016 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.
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