Tsanko Tsankov and his Bulgarian support crew were caught off guard minutes on South Pāpōhaku Beach on  Molokai Island just right before the start of their 45 km crossing of the Molokai Channel to Oahu.

While his pilot Ivan Shigaki and local observer Terri Dietz were waiting offshore in the escort boat, Tsankov and his coach and feeder along with a cameraman were waiting onshore, anxious for the mid-evening start.

The trio had previously flown over to Molokai and were waiting on the beach to meet the boat. Bill Goding reported, “I guess they didn’t realize they had to swim out to the boat – which is normal for our swims – because there is no dock anywhere near the start.  The boat cannot get close to shore due to large waves, especially now during the winter season.

Terri is one of our Kaiwi Channel Association members and went along to strictly be an observer.

But, Tsankov began his swim at 5:39 pm while his coach and cameraman stayed behind on Molokai. Terri served as both the official observer and the feeder while the winds have been in the 20+ knot range while Tsanko, Ivan and Terri are being tossed around and soaked in the rain.

Dietz reported that he swam well. Tsankov wrote on his Instagram (@tsanko.tsankov1), “For long hours in a row, I swam in pitch darkness. At times, there were strong storms and rain. At the end, I had an accident where a huge wave knocked me against the rocks, but although I was bleeding and had cuts on my arm and back, I made it to land and was greeted by many people.”

Tsankov finished at 10:02 am at China Walls on Oahu after a rough water crossing of 16 hours 23 minutes.

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