Chris Chuck, Ryan Leong, Rachel Randall, and Thomas Rathbun normally train in Waikiki, but decided to take their talents and sense of adventure in French Polynesia last week.

Over the course of four days, they first did a 21.9 km channel swim from Tahiti to Mo’orea in 6 hours 42 minutes from Vai’are via ‘Āfareaitu on April 13th. Then they followed that channel crossing on April 16th with a 24 km  counterclockwise circumnavigation swim of Bora Bora in 7 hours 26 minutes.

Leong said, “In retrospect, we should have swam clockwise in Bora Bora. We had a head current pretty much the entire way, but it was still a stunning swim with lots to see. For the Mo’orea swims, the reef pass we were targeting was closed because of surf so we ended up at the south pass and then had back track and swim an extra 3 km to the exit point so we didn’t come out on private property. It was a fun experience with a great group. The only really tough part was the water temperature. Mo’orea averaged 84°F (28.8°C) and Bora Bora 85°F (29.4°C).”

Both swims were organized by Seti Afoa of Samoa Events.

The quartet are making these swim an annual challenge. Last year in April 2025, the same group completed a 37 km Rarotonga clockwise circumnavigation tandem swim in 11 hours 35 minutes istarting and finishing from Trader Jack’s Beach in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

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