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Brought to you by Maui Nui Swim- The leader in Hawaiian Channel swimming
April 2, 2025: See below for an urgent update and data analysis on the two recent cookie cutter shark attacks in the Molokaʻi Channel on British swimmer Paul Leonard and Australian swimmer Joanne Norman. Watch the interview on Hawaiʻi News Now.
The Maui Nui Swim Advantage
Expert consulting for your Molokaʻi Channel crossing
Why book any Hawaiian Channel crossing with Maui Nui Swim? We know the level of commitment and resources necessary to swim a channel, especially the Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel and especially the pressures of completing Oceans 7. Help with logistics like where to train, where to stay, and how to get around are easy to find online and are featured below. At Maui Nui Swim we provide comprehensive consulting that includes information on ocean conditions, tides, currents, and marine life based on contemporary research. We plan departure times and locations around the individual swimmer, particularly the swimmer's safety, ability and goals. The captains we affiliate with are active partners and have final say when it comes to swimmer and crew safety on the water. Maui Nui Swim has access to a fleet of boats and crews for swimming the Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel and remains highly selective on who it accepts. Serious applicants only may apply.
Where to swim:
Honolulu offers a variety of options to prepare for your upcoming channel crossing. We recommend getting familiar with the temperature and salinity of our ocean before your swim. Ala Moana Beach Park and Kaimana Beach are excellent venues to log in some swims and acclimate to the local conditions while on Oʻahu. Looking for someone to swim with contact us.
Hawaiʻi is also home to a large number of outdoor, long course meter format pools that are free of charge to the public. For a complete listing visit the Department of Parks and Recreation. There is also Cooke Memorial Pool on Molokaʻi.
Where to stay:
We recommend lodging in and around Waikiki while on Oʻahu. For your Molokaʻi stay we recommend Hotel Molokaʻi as the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers a wide variety of healthy foods. As of 2025 Maui Nui Swim offers a premium package with lodging that is walking distance to your departure beach off the western shore of Molokaʻi during select windows.
How to get around on Oʻahu:
Maui Nui Swim can hook you up with a private vehicle on both Oʻahu and Molokaʻi. In general it is best to have your own vehicle. Honolulu offers access to most rental companies and Uber is ubiquitous on Oʻahu.
How to get to Molokaʻi:
You can take a boat but this is not advised if you plan to start your swim once you arrive in Molokaʻi. Mokulele Airlines is the carrier that offers flights between Oʻahu and Molokaʻi.
How to get around on Molokaʻi:
Maui Nui Swim can hook you up with a private vehicle on both Oʻahu and Molokaʻi. On Molokaʻi it is best to have your own vehicle unless it works out that you only need to get from the airport (MKK) to your starting point. In that case the local taxi service takes reservations here. There is no Uber or Lyft on Molokaʻi.
Swim Ratification:
Maui Nui Swim works closely with the Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association (HCSA). Book your swim with Maui Nui Swim, successfully complete it according to HCSA's rules, and receive your official HCSA cap and certificate for free. Outside of Maui Nui Swim fees will apply.
Does my swim count for Oceans 7?:
Yes- just ask anyone that booked with Maui Nui Swim like the Zemaitis Brothers, Legendary Oʻahu Swimmers Colby Dimsdale and Tim Lorge and Olympians Petar Stoychev and Andreas Waschburger.
Membership:
You do not have to become a member of any association to ratify your successful swim. The good news is that if you complete any channel crossing in Hawaiʻi then you automatically become a member of HCSA. Effective 2025 HCSA now offers unique privleges to members.
Observer training:
Available through Maui Nui Swim
Book your Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel swim with Maui Nui Swim, successfully complete it, and receive this special edition certificate and the official Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association ratification for Hawaiʻi and Oceans 7.
History
Steven Minaglia began coordinating Hawaiian Channel swim crosses in 2011. He formed Maui Nui Swim in 2017 and to date has organized 179 Hawaiian Channel swim crossings for 53 unique swimmers through the organization. Maui Nui Swim works closely with the Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association (HCSA) and all rules are followed. The HCSA, formed in 1984 is the local governing body for all 9 Hawaiian Channels including the Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel for the purpose of Oceans 7. For a list of Oceans 7 associations visit here.
News Flash
Tim Lorge becomes the youngest local swimmer to swim the Molokaʻi Channel with a time of 15:27 on April 19, 2025. This swim organized by Steven Minaglia of Maui Nui Swim, piloted by Jamie Barlow aboard One Step, and observed by Diana Kim was ratified unanimously by the board of the Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association. Check out the news coverage here.
News Flash
Andreas Waschburger (GER) sets new Molokaʻi Channel swim crossing record with a time of 9:55:10 on October 6, 2024. This swim organized by Steven Minaglia of Maui Nui Swim and observed by Ocean 7 creator Steven Munatones was ratified unanimously by the board of the Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association. Watch the videos here.
Novel course plan based on athlete goals and ability, predicted currents and weather conditions.
"Dr. Steve's Picks"
2025 Season Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel Swim Windows
Created by Maui Nui Swim
Each summer Steven Minaglia creator of the Maui Nui Swim suggests optimal Molokaʻi (Kaiwi) Channel swim windows based on experience and current science including an analysis of over 900 channel crosses in Hawaiʻi. These windows are individually created with the swimmer and the swimmer's safety in mind.
Urgent update: since the peer reviewed publication of the research on cookiecutter sharks (see below) there have been 21 successful Molokaʻi Channel swim crosses and 2 individuals attacked by cookiecutter sharks. Further analysis using the methods described in this research demonstrates an even stronger association between cookiecutter shark attacks on live humans and moonless nights (p=0.002 RR 15.3 (1.9-123.2). This means there is a minimum 90% increased risk of a cookiecutter shark bite when swimmers transit the deep part of the channel at night and without the moon in the sky. The warning to swimmers issued February 2024 is therefore again repeated: do not start your swim at a time that places you in the deep portion of the channel at night without the moon. Furthermore these data do not support a protective effect of shark deterrent devices. While there are no guarantees that a swimmer will not encounter a shark with the moon in the sky it is highly advised to use all available knowledge to promote the safety of the swimmer. For more information see the video depicting two grey reef sharks swimming directly at shark deterrent devices on the ankles of two swimmers.
The Maui Nui Swim
Established 2017
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