After 34 Years, The Double Roughwater Comes To A Halt
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
There was always that possibility with the wintertime Double Roughwater event.
Jim Anderson, race director of the 34th Possibly Annual Hawaiian Christmas Looong Distance Invitational Rough-H2O Swim (also known locally as the Double Roughwater) has cancelled the race for the second time in his 34-year history (also in 2007).
“I am the bearer of sad (bad) news. The 2015 event scheduled for November 22nd has been cancelled,” he writes.
“The logic for this is [that] the City & County of Honolulu has changed its permitting requirements such that the cost of insurance is now exorbitant and deposit fees have increased 500%.
There has been lots of publicity about the Big Fish that inhabit our waters. This has caused concern in some people. There have been cancellations of some entrants who are uncomfortable about swimming in Waikiki at the present time.
The economics of putting on this event have never been positive. Given the substantial increases in regulatory costs and the increasing likelihood of a very small number of entrants this year (last minute entries usually make up most of the difference between minus and breakeven) as many potential swimmers apparently have decided to sit out this year. The probability is very high that this would be a very costly year for the organizer.
Given the factors above, We have become increasingly uncomfortable about holding the event this year. For a successful event the organizer should be as comfortable as the swimmer.
As for the future of the Looong Distance Swim, that remains to be seen. Conditions will have to be evaluated next year.”
Photo shows 2014 Hawaiian Christmas Looong Distance Invitational Rough-H2O Swim overall winner Cherelle Osteringer, a 23-year-old student at the University of Hawaii originally from Switzerland, winning the 33rd Possibly Annual event.
Copyright © 2008 – 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association