Top 50 Open Water Swims In Asia In 2011

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Open water swimming is exploding around the world. New swims and attempts at solo swims and relays in new locations are popping up on every continent. With the centre of the open water world still in Europe, growth in other regions of the world is feverish … and nowhere like Asia.

Of the hundreds of open water swims in Asia, these are some of the most popular, best organized, most challenging and most scenic open water swims:

1. Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival – 3.3 km (Jih Yueh Tan, Taiwan)
2. Clean Half Marathon Swimming Open Water– 14.5 km Relay (Hong Kong)
3. Clean Half Marathon Swimming Open Water – 14.5 km Solo (Hong Kong)
4. Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim (Boğazıçi) – 6.5 km (Kandili, Asia to Kuruçeşme, Turkey)
5. Asian Beach Games – 5 km, 10 km (various countries, Haiyang, China in 2012)
6. India National Open Water Swimming Competition – 81 km (Behrampur, River Bhagirathi, West Bengal, India)
7. India National Open Water Swimming Competition – 19 km (Behrampur, River Bhagirathi, West Bengal, India)
8. All India Sea Swimming Competition – 24 miles (Chorwad to Veraval, India)
9. Waha Capital Abu Dhabi Mile – 1.6 km (Corniche Bay, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
10. Etihad Holidays Splash Dash – 0.2 km, 0.7 km (Corniche Bay, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
11. Turkish Victory Day Swim – 4.5 km (Canakkale, Hellespont, Turkey)
12. Lord Bryon’s Swim Festival – 4.5 km (Canakkale, Hellespont – Turkey)
13. Bosphorus International Swim – 7.1 km (Istanbul Strait from Meis, Greece to Kas, Turkey)
14. Temiz Korfezde Yuzelim – 5 km (Kocaeli, Turkey)
15. Kenting Sea Swim – 3 km (Kenting, Taiwan)
16. International Masters Open Water Swim – 0.5 km, 2 km relay, 3 km (Izu National Park, Shizuoka, Japan)
17. Southeast Asian Games – 5 km, 10 km (Putri Island, Indonesia)
18. Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union Sea Swim – 2 miles (Mount Lavinia Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka)
19. Interclub Masters’ Open Water Sea Swim – 1 km (Mount Lavinia Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka)
20. Singapore Open Water Swim -0.5 km, 1 km, 3 km, 5 km (East Coast Park, Casuarina Grove, Singapore)
21. Iran Open Water Swim – 3 km (Noshahr Northern Beach, Caspian Sea, Iran)
22. Bali Ocean Swim – 1.2 km, 5 km (Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia)
23. Okinawa Uruma Hamahiga Open Water Swim – 0.4 km, 1 km, 5 km, 1.6 km relay (Tokashiku Beach, Okinawa, Japan)
24. Nichinan-Kaigan Nangoh Open Water Swim – 0.4 km, 1 km and 2 km (Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan)
25. Trans of Guns Tanegashima Open Water Swim – 0.8 km, 1.6 km, 3.2 km, 1.6 km relay (Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan)
26. Atami Open Water Swim Race Japan Grand Prix – 0.4 km, 0.8 km, 3.2 km, 2 km relay (Atami, Shizuoka, Japan)
27. Aichi Minamichita Open Water Swim> – 0.4 km, 1 km, 3 km (Aichi, Japan)
28. Minamiboso Kyonan Open Water Swim – 0.4 km, 1.6 km, 3.2 km, 1.6 km relay (Chiba, Japan)
29. Shiga Biwako Open Water Swim – 0.4 km, 1 km, 3 km, 1.6 km relay (Lake Biwa, Shiga, Japan)
30. Nihonsandaikei Okumatsushima Open Water Swim – 0.4 km, 1-mile, 2-mile, 1.6 km (Okumatsushima, Japan)
31. Nihonsankei Mihono Matsubara Open Water Swim – 0.4 km, 1 km, 2 km, 1.6 km relay (Shizuoka, Japan)
32. Genkainada Kokuteikouen Open Water Swim – 0.4 km, 1 km, 3 km, and 0.8 km and 2 km relays (Fukuoka, Japan)
33. Izu Oshima Open Water Swim – 1 km, 2 km, 1.6 km relay (Oshima Island, Japan)
34. Okinawa Tokashiku Beach Open Water Swim– 0.4 km, 1 km, 5 km, 1.6 km relay (Okinawa, Japan)
35. Sakurajima Kinko Bay Open Water Swimming Championships – 4 km (Kinko Bay, Kagoshima, Japan)
36. Sheko Challenge – 2.2 km, 4 km (Shek-O Big Wave Bay to Back Beach, Hong Kong)
37. Japan Open – Open Water Swimming – 10 km, 4 km relay (Tateyama, Chiba, Japan)
38. Nakijin Open Water Swim Race – 3.8 km (Uppama Beach, Nakijin, Okinawa, Japan)
39. Yonaguni Island Circumnavigation – 29 km (Yonaguni Island, Okinawa, Japan)
40. Tsugaru Channel – 19.5 km (between Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan)
41. 358 Swim – 3 km, 5 km, 8 km (Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines)
42. Xiamen-Kinman Swimming – 7.1 km (Tiamen, China to Kinmen, Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait)
43. Chikugo River Swim Race – (Chikugo, Japan)
44. FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup – 10 km (Repulse Bay, Hong Kong)
45. South Asian Beach Games – 5 km (Hambantota, Sri Lanka)
46. Ganga River Long Distance Swimming Competition – 10 km (Bihar, India)
47. Five Lakes of Mount Fuji – (Shizuoka, Japan)
48. FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup> – 10 km (Xinjin River, Shantou, China)
49. 1.8K New World Cross Harbour Race – 1.8 km (Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong)
50. Palm Open Water Challenge Cup – 6.5 km swim (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

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