Hank Wise, A Key Man In Long Beach

Courtesy of Katie Rowe, Long Beach, California.

At the next Long Beach City Council meeting on July 23rd, Hank Wise will be honored by 3rd District Council representative Suzie Price for his seven career Catalina Channel crossings.  The reigning King of the Catalina Channel will be given the keys to the city for his record-setting achievement.

Hank Wise is an American waterman, born in Long Beach, who swims, sails, dives, paddles, kayaks, rows, body surfs and teaches in the open water throughout California, Mexico, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, Italy, Greece, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Tahiti.

In 1998, Wise suffered a detached retina that resulted in loss of sight in his left eye. “I’ve learned to live with one eye pretty quickly because I never saw that well in the other one anyway.”

In addition to his athletic exploits, Wise was instrumental in developing several local swim teams including the Killer Bees at the Long Beach Yacht Club, Swim Focus, Rocket Fish, Beach Swim Club Masters and the Sea Monkeys in Seal Beach.

His Catalina Channel record is as follows:

1. October 2010: Wise crossed the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the mainland in 8 hours 6 minutes at the age of 42.
2. October 2011: Wise was part of the Long Beach Swim Focus Catalina Relay that set the Catalina Channel record in 6 hours 54 minutes.
3. June 2015: Wise crossed the Catalina Channel from the mainland to Catalina Island in 8 hours 6 minutes at the age of 46.
4. October 2015: Wise crossed the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the mainland in 10 hours 56 minutes at the age of 46.
5. November 2016: Wise crossed the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the mainland in 8 hours 20 minutes at the age of 48.
6. October 2017, Wise crossed the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the mainland in 10 hours 14 minutes at the age of 49.
7. November 2017: Wise crossed the Catalina Channel from the mainland to Catalina Island in 10 hours 1 minute at the age of 49.
8. October 2018, he crossed the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the mainland in 7 hours 55 minutes at the age of 50.