Waschi breaks the world record in the Kaiwi Channel: a triumph of willpower
Andreas Waschburger has swum the Moloka’i Channel in Hawaii in a new world-record time of 9:55:10 hours. This beat the previous best time by more than two hours, and saw him ticking off his second (and the longest at 44 km) of the legendary Ocean’s Seven in a world-record time.
In the middle of the night on 6 October 2024, at 4:40 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST), Andreas ‘Waschi’ Waschburger began his latest challenge. At the perfect kick-off time of 4:40 p.m. on Sunday afternoon German time, the Saarland native began his mission to swim the infamous Kaiwi Channel (also known as the Moloka’i Channel). It is the longest distance that Waschburger has ever swum. This 44-kilometre strait between the Hawaii islands of Moloka’i and Oahu is known for its challenging conditions, sometimes extreme swell, and potential encounters with various sea dwellers such as sharks or jellyfish. Of the nearly 130 swimmers who have completed this intensive challenge, seven suffered shark injuries. Waschi was fortunately spared such an encounter. Andreas Waschburger conquered the Kaiwi Channel challenge in a new world-record time of 9 hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds.
This police commissioner from Saarland, who crossed the English Channel in a world-record time last year, has thus achieved his second milestone on his path through the Ocean’s Seven. ‘Last year I crossed the English Channel in a world-record time – a moment I will never forget! But that was just the beginning. Now comes the next round of my Ocean’s Seven project’, Waschi wrote on Instagram when he embarked on his Hawaii adventure. As well as showing that his self-confidence was well placed, the long-distance specialist exceeded even his own expectations and standards by gaining a new world record.
Last year, I crossed the English Channel in world record time — a moment I will never forget
Initial obstacles upon arrival
The journey began on 2 October when Waschi headed out from Frankfurt to Hawaii via San Francisco, together with his wife Jasmin and media professionals Rouven Christ and Janis Scheuermann. After travelling for more than 30 hours, the ‘Hawaii tour group’ finally reached Honolulu, but the final stage of the journey proved to be harder than expected: the planned flight in a small propeller plane from Honolulu to the island of Moloka’i was cancelled, requiring the group to spend an unplanned night in Honolulu. They had to wait until the next morning to take their connecting flight and finally make it to their destination of Moloka’i.
Little preparation time
The days before the major swim attempt were limited and were needed to acclimatise to the time difference and recover from the stress of travelling. Waschi took advantage of every opportunity to become familiar with the local conditions. He and his team explored the Moloka’i coast and trained in the water to ensure that he was ideally prepared for the upcoming swim attempt. The mood was tense but full of anticipation. Waschi reported fascinating conditions with local marine fauna, including a turtle that kept him company during training. The team also met the boat crew and Ocean’s Seven creator Steven Munatones, who subsequently watched the challenge from the support boat. In addition, they were welcomed by Steven Minaglia of the Hawaiian Channel Swim Association (HCSA). This organisation is responsible for officially accrediting successful crossings from island to island.
Night-time start to the challenge
The swim attempt on 6 October, starting in the middle of the night at 4:40 a.m. local time, was rocky and rough to begin with. When Waschi entered the sea from the beach, he hit his face on a rock just a few strokes in and suffered a small laceration to the head. Despite the bleeding cut, he continued the attempt and struck out into the torrent. Waschi described the currents as ‘brutal’. The strong swell caused more problems for the whole team on the support boat, whilst Waschi remained unfazed and continued battling on through the forces of nature and sea dwellers.
When the extreme swimmer finally had Sandy Beach in his sights, one last hurdle remained – the huge waves caught Waschi once again and hit him hard, but Waschi continued on undaunted and fought his way to the finish.
The currents were brutal. But I pushed through, stroke by stroke. The waves tried to stop me, but I kept fighting.
Success! Kaiwi Channel finisher and new world record
Andreas Waschburger swam determinedly to the Oahu beach with stoic calm and tremendous willpower, arriving at ‘Sandy Beach’ at 2:35 p.m. (HST) – 2:35 a.m. on Monday night German time – to set a new world record of 9 hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds. This shattered the previous record of 12 hours and 2 minutes, set by Hungarian swimmer Attila Mányoki in 2015, by more than two hours.
I can hardly believe it — a new world record across the Molokai Channel, 44 km, the longest swim of my life — The record is mine!
Two down, five to go!
Waschi’s success in the Kaiwi Channel is another milestone in his impressive career and an inspiring example of willpower and perseverance. This achievement sees Andreas Waschburger tick off his second of the seven challenges in the Ocean’s Seven series. And both in world-record times! We are looking forward to his next adventures and are excited to see what record Waschi will break next. Congratulations, Waschi!
Setting a new world record
