50 Years Ago
1964 Australian Olympian Linda McGill, MBE (MSF bio here, shown above on left) became the first person to swim 45 km around Hong Kong Island in 17 hours 6 minutes in rough water conditions in May 1976. The renowned International Marathon Swimming Hall of Famer swam all of the world from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to Sri Lanka, English Channel (3 times), Canada (Lake Ontario, lac St-Jean, Lake Simone), USA (Block Island, Manhattan Island, 3 times), Hong Kong, Saudi Arabian, Bahrain, New Guinea, Brazil, Italy, and across the Arabian Gulf.
Hong Kong Restoration
For decades afterwards, the city’s waters were barely swimmable: pollution was so severe that the annual Cross Harbour Race was suspended for more than 30 years, from 1979 until 2011.
The government’s Harbour Area Treatment Scheme, launched in 2001 and the largest environmental infrastructure project in Hong Kong’s history, transformed the harbour, and the Cross Harbour Race returned to central Victoria Harbour in 2017 that draws a growing global community of both recreational and competitive swimmers.
History of Hong Kong Circumnavigation Swims
On November 9th 2017, Simon Holliday (Great Britain, MSF bio here) swam around Hong Kong Island in 12 hours 34 minutes, raising over US$140,000 for Splash Foundation.
On November 3rd 2018, Splash Foundation board member Edie Hu (USA, MSF bio here) swam around Hong Kong Island in 12 hours 37 minutes, HK360 Swim.
On November 15th 2022, Claire Cormier Thielke, Karen Robertson, Camille Cheng, Hannah Wilson, Antonia Li, and Jamie Yeung swam around Hong Kong Island in 10 hours 59 minutes, raising HK$1.4 million for Splash Foundation.
On November 26th 2025, 23-year-old Waris Mills, who trained in Hong Kong as a teenager, set the fastest recorded solo time of 10 hours 35 minutes [shown above on right].
This year on November 16th, 42 swimmers on seven teams will set off from Cyberport to around Hong Kong Island, passing through Victoria Harbour at dawn with plans to finish 11 to 13 hours later. Now in its fourth year, Make Waves for Hong Kong has become one of the city’s signature open water events. This year’s swim aims to raise HK$4 million for Splash Foundation (樂泳基金會) to teach 2,000 children and adults from disadvantaged communities to swim.
Fenella Ng, who swam for Hong Kong at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, and returned to the Olympics in 2000 as a rower and Opening Ceremonies flag-beare, will participate on the annual fundraising and advocacy campaign that has energized more than 5,000 donors who share the conviction that swim literacy is essential to a healthy, inclusive island city. “Make Waves is a great initiative, not only to fundraise but to draw attention to swim literacy in Hong Kong. As a swim coach, I believe the opportunity to learn to swim should be available to all, and it should be seen as a life skill,” says Ng, Co-Founder and Head Coach of Swim Lab Asia.
“Swimming around Hong Kong Island feels incredibly symbolic to me. It is both a personal journey and a tribute to the city I call home. To circle the island by water is to reconnect with its energy, its resilience and its identity,” says Amber Wan, a Hong Kong ultra-trail runner and fellow relay swimmer.
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong has 733 km of coastline and an abundance of swimming pools – yet nearly half of the local population are unable to swim. Women and children from low-income communities are the least likely to learn, including many of the city’s migrant domestic workers. “The reality is that learning to swim is a privilege, and it shouldn’t be. It should be something everyone in a community has access to,” says Roy Pang, Board Chair of Splash Foundation.
Vincent, 15, was afraid of water after nearly drowning as a child. He learned to swim with Splash in 2024 and now coaches younger children. Of the first time he swam a full length in the deep end: “When I touched that end of the wall, I literally cried, because I was happy. I finally overcame my fear.”
Dinusha, who came to Hong Kong from Sri Lanka, joined Splash as a beginner in 2023. She became the first swimmer in her family and has since encouraged her sister to learn. If Splash didn’t exist, “lots of people like us would never ever step into the pool, or even the beaches,” she says. Of this year’s Make Waves swimmers, she adds: “Every stroke they make, that’s a chance for someone else like me to learn how to swim. So they are kind of heroes for us.”
Splash Delivers
Since 2015, Splash has taught more than 13,000 people to swim. It aims to reach 25,000 by 2030. Its impact extends well beyond the pool. “Swimming saves lives, but it also changes them. It builds resilience, combats loneliness and improves mental health and wellbeing. It’s a wonderfully simple solution to some of life’s most complex challenges,” says Libby Alexander, Co-Founder & CEO of Splash Foundation.
2026 Make Waves for Teams
- Team Aqua with Charlie Morgan, Emily Bottle, Jo McConnell, Joseph Fisher, Kathryn Sanger, and Toby Eggleston
- Team Blue with Andrew Ball. Angus Ropner, Edward Barrow, Oliver Mason, Owen Li, and Paddy Hills
- Team Green with Alexandra Ioda, Amber Wan, Andrew Kennewell, Carla McKenzie, Maximino Umbao, and Tain Kirkwood
- Team Orange with Adam Janmohamed, Carolyn Ranger, Eunice Lam, Linda Sim, Marcel Smit, and Robert Sleigh
- Team Purple with Alex Richardson, Fenella Ng, Heidi Reyes, Jack Yee, James Daniels, and Jonathan Chu
- Team Red with Franz Miltz, Juliette Petiteaux, Kee Leung, Michael Wan, Randall Arthur, and Victoria Ahn
- Team Yellow with Alec Stuart, Alison Crosbie, Esther Ng, Koko Mueller, Samantha Dunston, and Tony Chan
For more information, visit www.splashfoundation.org/makewaves.
To donate, visit give.asia/campaign/makewaves2026.
“For the past decade, we’ve supported Splash by providing safety and support vessels with crews, and around-the-clock strategic, logistical and safety assistance for the fundraiser swims. As ocean enthusiasts, we’re committed to water safety and to giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the water with joy and confidence,” says Ewa Stachurska, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer, Simpson Marine.
“We are thrilled to support the Splash Foundation’s ‘Make Waves for Hong Kong’ swim around Hong Kong Island for another year. By promoting swim literacy, we’re paving the way for a brighter, safer, and healthier future for all Hong Kongers,” says Michael Tang, Chief Executive Officer of Convenience Retail Asia Limited, Saint Honoré.
“We are dedicated to supporting sports as a powerful way of advancing well-being and fostering personal growth. We are pleased to partner with Splash Foundation once again for ‘Make Waves for Hong Kong’. Driven by a shared vision to create meaningful impact within the community, this initiative aligns closely with our commitment to empowering individuals and encouraging active, healthy lifestyles throughout the city,” says Cynthia Leung, Chief Communications Officer at Henderson Land and the Lee Shau Kee Foundation.
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
World Open Water Swimming Federation, an exclusively human-powered project