Courtesy of Shu Pu (@shushupu), Hong Kong.

On November 26th, Waris Mills not only completed the HK360, a 45 km circumnavigation swim around Hong Kong Island, but also shattered the overall course record with 10 hour 35 minute swim.

The 23-year-old British-South African athlete took 7 minutes off the previous men’s record held by Olympian Alex Fong in 10 hours 43 minutes and over two hours off the women’s record of 12 hours 37 minutes held by Edie Hu).

The HK360 is rapidly gaining recognition as the iconic solo swim of Hong Kong, a test that is comparable to the English Channel or the 20 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan. Mills’s extraordinary performance started with a humble goal of simply completing the longest open water swim of her life and finished as the 9th and youngest individual to conquer the HK360 solo as she established a new benchmark for the challenge.

Mills lived in Hong Kong as a teenager, trained with a local squad, and won local races. A former competitive swimmer in the UK, she also represented South Africa in both Life Saving and Slalom Kayaking, collecting numerous national and international titles.

• She competed at the 2018 British National Championships in both swimming and lifesaving
• She competed in the 2024 World Lifesaving Championships and is a 3-time South African Lifesaving national champion, winning the prestigious 2024 Iron Women race
• She won the 2018 McBean Middle Island Challenge in Hong Kong and multiple South African open water events
• She was the 2024 Hong Kong Dragon Run Surfski Champion and African Canoe Polo Gold Medalist

In Her Own Words

Mills described her record-breaking swim, a powerful narrative of fear, perseverance, and triumph. “In 2024, I visited my father in Hong Kong to participate in a surfski event. While there, I joined him for a swim with the Southside swimming group in Repulse Bay. I met a number of ocean swimmers, including Brett Kruse who was training for the HK360. Talking to them got me interested. Brett, in particular, inspired me with his belief that I could do it. Early in 2025, he connected us with Shu, and we signed up.

I started training in June while in South Africa, primarily in the pool. I competed in the World Slalom Canoe Championships in late September, so I did a lot of cross-training. I arrived in Hong Kong in early September and started training in the ocean. Running up to the HK360, I did three big swims to prepare:

• 23 km Lamma Island circumnavigation swim in 7 hour 16 minutes under tough conditions
• 15 km open water swim from Shek O to Repulse Bay 
• 20 km open water swim from Repulse Bay to Stanley Beach 2 times

I tested my nutrition strategy (Tailwind, Electrolytes, and hot tea) and did a couple of night swims. In Hong Kong, I continued with cross-training, including surfski paddling and trail running.

The swim was definitely a journey. I was so nervous and didn’t know what to expect—I had never swum this far in my life. I was facing one of my biggest fears: swimming in the ocean, and now I had to do it in the dark.

I was lucky to have people at the starting pier shining lights for me, which made me feel calm. Madison, my paddler, looked like a Christmas tree on the water, and it was time to go. The first three hours were the hardest. I was swimming through the iconic Hong Kong harbour with dazzling lights everywhere. The water was choppier than I expected, and I was getting cold.

There was a lot of doubt in my mind, and I was asking for hot tea a lot. I struggled to find a rhythm with my strokes. My mood was boosted when Gabs (my support swimmer) joined me at the fourth hour as we were exiting the harbour.

One highlight was when the sun rose out of the water. “The Circle of Life” song was repeating in my head, and I finally didn’t feel so cold anymore. The orange sun was rising with Madison on my left and the boat with the crew on my right. I felt like they were giving me a big hug, and it was then I knew that I could do this.

Rounding Kissing Whales (Cape D’Aguilar), there were some lekker rolling waves and I felt like I was dancing with the ocean. I started to have some discomforting pain around 25 km. Passing my home training turf made me think of all the training that had built up to this swim, and all the swimming I have done in my life.

Near Aberdeen, Brett (support swimmer) joined me with around 8 km to go. He encouraged me to go faster, and it motivated me to try and push up the pace.

At the last feed, I told Madison I was broken. She said, ‘3 and a half km to go.’ I kept pushing myself to swim harder, to swim faster. I was losing focus, tired and in pain, but what kept me going was when I started to shout names in my head for who I was swimming for. ‘Swim for Madison! Swim for my family, swim for Brett and Gabs, swim for the people on the boat…’

I shouted all the people I cared about. Then I shouted to swim for myself. This swim was about facing my fears and learning to love and really believe in myself. When I got to the finish, I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry. I was so wobbly.

I did not expect to be so cold at night. The hot tea helped a lot. I also couldn’t process my solid nutrition because I was so nervous and tense. I had to switch to just electrolytes and hot tea for a large part of the second half. Overall, I did not feel dehydrated or lacking energy at the end.

I really want to say a big thank you to the crew: Ross, the navigator; Ryan and Sean, the captain and crew; Sam, the observer/first aid; Gabs and Brett, my support swimmers; my father, the feeder; and Shu, the organizer who made it all possible. It truly was a dream team.

Shu Pu said, “The HK360 tests a swimmer in every way: the dark, choppy harbour, the swells off Shek O, and the relentless second half. Every swimmer shows their suffering. Waris, however, masked hers with big smiles and what seemed like sincere enjoyment. Her positivity was awe-inspiring.

Reading her statement about using a mantra of love for her crew and herself to overcome the pain was incredibly moving. She has the character of a champion and a wonderful human being. A fond memory was our crew getting energized by Peter’s cowbell and Madison’s singing (for 10 hours non-stop) a joyful party for a swimmer who, with earplugs in, was fighting a silent,
determined battle.”

Ross Vickers who served as the navigator said, “It was a pleasure to work with such a talented athlete. Our models foresaw a potential record, and after a strategic one-day shift for better conditions, Waris executed it perfectly. She was 15 minutes behind record pace exiting the Harbour, held her nerve, and then systematically gained it back. Once she was ahead at Cape D’Aguillar, we knew she had a good shot at the record. We asked her to push, and she stepped it up a notch to stay ahead of record pace. It was a privilege to see our strategy of working with the elements, not against them, culminate in this phenomenal swim.”

Crew List:

• Peter Mills – father and feeder
• Madison Feldman – support surf ski paddler, lifesaver, motivational singer
• Gabriella Little – support swimmer
• Brett Kruse – support swimmer, the third fastest HK360 solo swimmer in history
• Ryan Mann – skipper of pilot boat “Local Hero”
• Shu Pu – organizer
• Sean Baylis – first mate
• Sam Cooke – first aid and observer
• Ross Vickers – navigator

History

In May 1976, 29-year-old Australian Olympian Linda McGill became the first person to swim 45 km around Hong Kong Island in 17 hours 6 minutes. A total of 8 people in history made the circumnavigation successfully.

Photo Credits

Amy Miao, Brett Kruse, and Shu Pu. 

Racing in Hong Kong

For those who want to also race in Hong Kong, Shu Pu is organizing the 15 km Cold Half Extreme Marathon Swim in Hong Kong on January 25th 2026 for both bioprene and neoprene soloist and relay swimmers along with the 1.5 km Cold Plunge and the Cold Dip – Ice Bath Challenge in Repulse Bay.

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