Kaiwi Channel
Complete the Oceans 7
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Want to swim the Kaiwi Channel?
Muku ka malama, nanahu ka nahunaiki o ka pō.1
Want to book a Kaiwi Channel swim window? The Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association (HCSA) can make that happen. Check out our FAQs.
Kaiwi Channel Swim Records 1961-2025
Kaiwi Channel Swim Records 1961-2025
As of 2026 Molokaʻi Channel swim crossing records have now been broken 6 times in the last 2 years. Any inflection point tends to result from several factors. First, knowledge regarding training and nutrition is at a high delivering well prepared swimmers to Hawaiʻi. Increased analysis of conditions has been made possible through several apps collecting big environmental data. Novel course design and increased swimmer input has come from organizer competition.
HCSA IS THE FIRST AND ONLY OCEANS 7 GOVERNING BODY TO IMPROVE SWIMMER SAFETY THROUGH MARINE ANIMAL RESEARCH. THIS RESEARCH, COMPLETED LATE 2023, LED TO ACTIONABLE DATA AND IS NOW THE MODERN SAFETY STANDARD FOR CROSSING DEEP HAWAIIAN CHANNELS LIKE KAIWI.
HCSA's official position statement regarding the Molokaʻi (Kaiwi), ʻAlenuihāhā, Kaulakahi, and Kaʻieʻiewaho Channels:
In addition to considering sea and weather conditions and sun exposure duration, a strong recommendation supporting human safety can be made to structure channel swimming so that a swimmer transits through the zoogeographical habitat (the deepest portions of the channel) of Isistius spp. (cookiecutter sharks) during moonlit nights or daytime.
To learn more check out the recent interview with Steven Minaglia on Hawaiʻi News Now. Read the 2024 publicly available research about shark attacks in Hawaiian waters made possible by data collected by HCSA and analyzed by Maui Nui Swim here. Listen to the March 2024 interview on Hawaiʻi Public Radio here.
HCSA recognizes the best practices developed by Steven Minaglia of Maui Nui Swim for crossing the Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel.
Check out his early 2024 strategy to reduce cookiecutter shark bites, the video posted on instagram, and the new video below by Animalogic.
1 Check out the December 2025 paper by University of Hawaiʻi researchers Suca, et al. that further establishes the connection between moonless nights and cookiecutter shark attacks on channel swimmers.
"Muku ka malama, nanahu ka nahunaiki o ka pō. When the new moon arises, the cookiecutter shark bites."
Swim the Kaiwi Channel Your Way- Earn your certificate and cap.
2025 HCSA Issues a New Cap to Recognize Oʻahu to Molokaʻi Swims
Women's Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel Swim Crossing Records Recognized By HCSA:
Haley Chasin (right), Molokaʻi to Oʻahu, 11:59 in 2025.
Organized by Captain Mike Twigg-Smith
Edie Hu, Oʻahu to Molokaʻi, 16:09 in 2025.
Organized by Captain Mike Twigg-Smith
Men's Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel Swim Crossing Records Recognized By HCSA:
Andreas Waschburger (right), Molokaʻi to Oʻahu, 9:55:10 in 2024.
Organized by Maui Nui Swim/Steven Minaglia & Jamie Barlow
Loren King (second from left) with (left to right) Steven Minaglia of Maui Nui Swim, Crew Member Lynn Rodgers, Captain Jamie Barlow, and First-Mate Henry Pomroy, Oʻahu to Molokaʻi, 13:18 in 2026.
Organized by Maui Nui Swim/Steven Minaglia & Jamie Barlow
Example of how a Hawaiian Channel swim sanctioning body collaborates with the HCSA
Maui Nui Swim organizes the record-breaking Kaiwi Channel swim crossing (Molokaʻi to Oʻahu) of Andreas Waschburger and HCSA ratifies the swim after full board review.
Maui Nui Swim organizes the record-breaking Kaiwi Channel swim crossing (Oʻahu to Molokaʻi) of Loren King and HCSA ratifies the swim after full board review.
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