Molokai Channel
- 41.1 km
- Distance
- Molokai ↔ Oahu
Before Nakama
The Kaiwi Channel Association register opens with a line without a date or time: Pua Kealoha, a 1920 Olympic champion, who reportedly crossed from Molokai to Oahu in the 1920s. The association itself marks it as unverified. The Hawaiian association does, however, recognize Bill Pai’s 1939 swim from Molokai to Oahu, «long before there was an organization or any rules», but it does not certify it: before he began swimming, he had himself taken offshore by boat.
Keo Nakama, September 29, 1961
The first recognized crossing was by Keo Nakama, born on Maui in 1920, a student of coach Soichi Sakamoto, a mile record-holder in the 1940s and later a teacher and representative. He was 41 years old. After a postponement due to unfavorable currents, he entered the water at 3:00 a.m. on September 29, 1961, near Lāʻau Point. Behind him, a sampan towed a shark cage; after an hour of seasickness, he entered it to recover and then returned to swimming. Portuguese man o' wars stung his arms and chest: «The stings made me forget the seasickness», he recounted. In the afternoon, the waves pushed him toward Hanauma Bay, then the current began to push him back. He exited the water at Hanauma Bay shortly after 6:30 p.m., in front of thousands of people, after about 15 and a half hours.
The years that followed
Harry Huffaker, the swimming dentist of Hawaii, crossed in 1967 and 1972, the second time from Oahu to Molokai: the first in that direction. In 1974, Jonathan Ezer, an 18-year-old lifeguard, went from Lāʻau Point to Sandy Beach in 13 hours and 4 minutes without ever stopping or holding on, and his time remained the best for 39 years. In September 1994, Robin Isayama was the first woman: more than 15 hours, from 1:30 a.m. to after 5:00 p.m., amidst Portuguese man o' wars, darkness, seasickness, and fear of sharks.
Today's times
On October 6, 2024, the German swimmer Andreas Waschburger went from Molokai to Oahu in 9 hours, 55 minutes, and 10 seconds. Among women, the best time is 11 hours and 59 minutes, set by Haley Chasin on June 10, 2025. In the opposite direction, the Canadian Loren King, 57, swam from Oahu to Molokai in 13 hours, 18 minutes, and 55 seconds on April 21, 2026. The youngest solo swimmer, Maya Merhige, was 15 years old in January 2023; the longest crossing is by Halani Moss-Vete, 29 hours and 10 minutes, in August 2024.
Timeline
Computed from the recorded crossings: the first, the first by sex, the first from each country and every record broken.