{"id":590919,"date":"2024-07-17T17:46:40","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T00:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=590919"},"modified":"2024-07-17T18:16:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T01:16:31","slug":"epic-swim-maui-will-circumnavigate-island-while-pushing-for-ocean-health-honoring-duke-kahanamoku","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/epic-swim-maui-will-circumnavigate-island-while-pushing-for-ocean-health-honoring-duke-kahanamoku\/","title":{"rendered":"Epic Swim Maui Will Circumnavigate Island While Pushing For Ocean Health, Honoring Duke Kahanamoku"},"content":{"rendered":"

Epic Swim Maui Will Circumnavigate Island While Pushing For Ocean Health, Honoring Duke Kahanamoku<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the next few weeks, 14 open water swimmers from around the world will circumnavigate the island of Maui. The event<\/a>, entitled Epic Swim Maui, is the first event in the Global Expedition Swim Series, with the goal of promoting ocean health and scientific research and to honor Duke<\/strong> Kahanamoku<\/strong>, the only Olympic gold medalist in swimming from Hawaii<\/a> who also helped popularize surfing worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a this is a world\u2019s first circumnavigation swim around Maui, Hawaii, to usher in the age of expeditions swimming. This is this is the proof of concept that ultimately, we\u2019re planning on taking around the world,\u201d swim founder Robby Seeger<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is that we have is really that the best open water swimmers from six continents coming together for the first time and they\u2019re actually swimming together. We\u2019re moving it out of the soul aspect of the sport for the bigger discussion around ocean health that that is happening globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

No swimmer has ever covered the 190 miles (300 km) around Maui, and in keeping with the organizers\u2019 focus on sustainability, the event is advertised as carbon-neutral and plans to enlist native Hawaiians as watermen and women to guide and aid the athletes. Seeger emphasizes that this is an expedition swim and not a race, with successful completion and raising awareness the key goals rather than time and place.<\/p>\n

Participants in the swim include Hawaii\u2019s John Kaleimakali\u2019i Clark<\/strong>, Ryan Leong<\/strong> and Stefan Reinke<\/strong>, Scotland\u2019s Andrew Donaldson<\/strong>, Chile\u2019s Barbara Hernandez<\/strong>, India\u2019s Prabhat Koli<\/strong>, New Zealand\u2019s Jonathan<\/strong> Ridler<\/strong>, Ghana\u2019s Yvette Tetteh<\/strong>, the United States\u2019 Sarah Thomas<\/strong>, Egypt\u2019s Mostafa Zaki<\/strong>, Croatia\u2019s Dina Leva\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, France\u2019s Marion Joffle<\/strong>, South Africa\u2019s Sarah Ferguson<\/strong> and Australia\u2019s Paul<\/strong> Blackbeard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n