When Hank WIse (57, USA, MSF bio here) climbed up the nearly vertical face of Arrow Point on the east end of Santa Catalina Island, he had taken a nearly straight line from Terranea Cover on the Palos Verdes Peninsula on the Southern California mainland to Santa Catalina Island [see here].

It was his eighth career crossing of the 32.3 km Catalina Channel, tying him for the most crossings with Samuel Neri (61, Mexico, MSF bio here) and just one-upping Antonio Argüelles (66, Mexico, MSF bio here) at the top of the Catalina list.

Wise was flying across in the 21°C water, starting near midnight and swimming a fast 8 hour 7 minute crossing.

Wise accurately described his crossing even before he took off, “Returning to the black velvet of swimming at night is a unique task, a pleasure and a moment of focus and gritty determination.  As I get older, I wonder what this swim will feel like in hour number seven, eight and nine.  Anything is possible, challenges will come and may linger or they may go away.  The potential for a second and third wind is real. I stay open to that possibility.  

The headspace of calm, enjoyable, positive swim is where I point towards before and during my effort.  One experienced friend said – ‘Find the Fun’.  Another experienced friend said, ‘Savor the experience, enjoy the moments out there.’  I agree heartily with this advice.  The gratitude of a healthy mind, body and spirit which is able to continue to do this.  There’s also a bit of GRRR-ATTITUDE…in this Gratitude – that’s the Grit plus the Gratitude together.

The support of family and friends, teammates, open-water swim buddies and my own youth swim team and their parents are also a boost for me.  I picture their happy cheering faces and know that they are with me every stroke.

He also described his approach on swimming to Catalina, “Stroke by stroke, one minute at a time, thirty minutes until the next feed.  Sean, my trusty kayaker, navigator and friend will be by my side the whole way across.  My first feed will be at the one-hour mark and then every 30 minutes after that.  The feeds need to be crisp and succinct – shooting for 10 seconds.  Feeds are not a rest, but strictly for fueling.   

The training has gone relatively well. I have built a nice base layer of training with multiple 8- and 10-milers and a 12-miler too.  My body has dealt with the training pretty well with recovery time lessening and each long swim feels less taxing then the previous. 

My every half hour feeds have been meeting my calorie to output needs, using mostly natural, organic products, less sugary, more sustainable for my body over the training and game day.” 

While Wise completed his fourth Top 10 finish of his channel career, his time was not his ultimate goal, “I continue to believe in process over results.  If our team process is primed, then the positive result will be imminent.  This is where I am heading.  Calm, steady progress over time and enjoying the swim, the mystery, the moment.  

His support crew included Captain Max Jolly, first mate Konrad Mayer, observers Dan Simonelli and Jeff Rake, and kayaker Sean Lieppman. Wise described his team, “Captain Max Jolly is n experienced sailor and charter boat operator, who also works for the City of Long Beach in the Leeway Sailing Youth and Adult recreational sailing department.  First mate Konrad Mayer is a medical doctor in residence, a dual citizen of both Germany and the USA who has sailed with Captain Max for over 15 years. Dan has built a life dedicated to fostering great experiences in the open water for himself and others.  He swims daily, runs open water swim camps, hosts the Around Coronado Island Swim, kayaks and observes swims.  Dan has observed about five of my swims thus far. Jeff works with Dan on the open water swim camps, is highly experienced in open water swimming, has a big smile and a great stack of curly, healthy, grey hair.  Sean is the ‘do everything guy’ on these swims.  He has helped me cross the channel four other times.  He has a sea captain’s license for a six-ton vessel; however, he mostly uses his ocean knowledge for spearfishing trips with his buddy and boat partner Brendan Rose out to Catalina Island and points beyond. His parents raised him motoring over to the Isthmus in Catalina where as a family they skin dive, spearfish, socialize and enjoy gourmet meals together.  I have known Sean for over three decades.  I was first his swim coach, then he assisted our youth aquatics program with teaching swimming, surfing, and ocean skills.  I rely and appreciate his depth of ocean awareness and our teamwork makes these swims become a reality.

Sean used an iPhone compass, a Garmin Marine GPS, back-up battery power, and holding all my feeds in milk crate behind his seated position in his 14-foot foot pedal kayak, enabling his hands to be free to operate the navigation instruments.”

Wise explained his love of Catalina crossings, “The cosmic connection between the natural realm and the human realm really combine deeply in this swim.  The Pacific Ocean with its massive depth, bounty plants and animals is wide open for the challenge of first hand inspection.  The humans helping me on this swim, and myself, all have to be on point and ready for this challenge – navigating the straightest line, keeping the boat and kayak in alignment, with safety and support as their primary concern.  I trust all the elements in this swim, the nature, the humans and myself.”  

Catalina Crossings of Hank Wise, Co-King of the Catalina Channel

• October 2010, age 42: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Santa Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 8:07:03
• June 2015, age 47: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Santa Catalina Island in 8:07:37
• October 2015, age 47: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes Peninsula in 10:56:44 at the age of 47.
• November 2016, age 48: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes Peninsula in 8:20:10 at the age of 48.
• October 2017, age 49: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes Peninsula in 10:14:00 at the age of 49.
• November 2017, age 49: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes Peninsula in 10:01:52 at the age of 49.
• October 2018, age 50: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 7:55:06
• September 2025, age 57: 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Palos Verdes Peninsula to Catalina Island on Arrow Point in 8:07.53

All-time Top 10 Fastest Crossings of the Catalina Channel

1. 7 hours 15 minutes 55 seconds by Penny Lee Dean, USA, MC in September 1976, age 21
2. 7 hours 26 minutes 25 seconds by Grace van der Byl, USA, CM in October 2012, age 34
3. 7 hours 46 minutes 31 seconds by Pete Huisveld, USA, MC in August 1992, age 41
4. 7 hours 41 minutes 14 seconds by John York, USA, MC in September 1978 (first leg of a 2-way), age 17
5. 7 hours 44 minutes 6 seconds by Karen Burton, USA, CM in October 1994, age 32
6. 7 hours 55 minutes 6 seconds by Hank WIse, USA, CM in October 2018, age 50
7. 8 hours 5 minutes 44 seconds by Todd Robinson, USA, CM in August 2009, age 42
8. 8 hours 6 minutes 4 seconds by Hank Wise, USA, CM in October 2010, age 42
9. 8 hours 6 minutes 37 seconds by Hank Wise, USA, MC in June 2015, age 47
10. 8 hours 7 minutes 53 seconds by Hank Wise, USA MC in September 2025, age 57

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