Steven Munatones (63, USA, MSF bio here, @steven.munatones) recalled after swimming, “Day Three of Swim Shōdoshima（スイム小豆島) reminded me very much of the 1984 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and the 1985 Atlantic City Around the Island Swim.
During those swims, I was swimming with 7-time world professional marathon swimming champions Paul Asmuth (68, USA, MSF bio here) and Shelley Taylor-Smith, (64, Australia, MSF bio here), among others from Claudio Plit (Argentina, MSF bio here) to Philip Rush (New Zealand, MSF bio here). Around Manhattan, I remember swimming up the East River and then going through the Harlem River. Then we hit the Hudson River on the old Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. When we reached the Hudson River, we just ran smack into an oncoming wall of water and could only swim in place. Churning arms and no movement. Paul, Claudio, Shelley, and Phil all remember fighting the outgoing tidal flows in and around Absecon Island in Atlantic City swims in the previous century. Unless you were hanging onto the rocks, there was nothing you could do, but churn your arms and simply swim in place.
The same thing happened during Day Three in the swim around Shōdoshima. It was déjà vu: arms churning and no movement.
We know that the two typhoons had passed and we could swim without rain or strong winds today so that was a huge relief. The first two hours were smooth. We will swimming well at a 4 km per hour pace as it felt so much easier. We had to stop for a few minutes for a large ferry boat to pass before we reached the first major peninsula of the today. It was Sunday so there were lots of fishermen out by the peninsula. As we started to round Cape Kanagasaki, the fishermen yelled at us to stay away from the rocks.
But after keeping my arms churning and seeing no movement, I decided to swim closer to shore. I had to stay focused because I was swimming right over and through rock formations and kelp beds, sort of zigzagging my way up the coast. The underwater seascape was great – it reminded me of the Palos Verdes Peninsula swims in Southern California where I swam amid the heavy kelp forests.
There were steep shear cliffs and thick green forests to my left which provided a constant diversion from the effort and focus needed to navigate the rocks and kelp on the seabed. So it was two hours to the cape and then another 2 hours 23 minutes navigating the oncoming currents and fascinating seascape below me.“
Day Three ended after 4 hours 23 minutes where he covered 15.37 km under the escort of kayaker Chris Morgan, paddle boarder Skyler Munatones, and standup paddler Jessie Salas (@coachjsalas). “Sometimes, Skyler or Chris would be immediately on my left, right alongside of me, protecting me from hitting the cliff walls or concrete walls along the way. What is really enjoyable about this swim is that every kilometer swum, we all know that we are the first four people to circumnavigate this idea. We never quite know exactly where we will finish on each day, but we are always on the lookout for a reasonable exit point. For people who have swum on the north shore of the islands of Molokai or Kauai or Catalina, Shōdoshima has similar terrestrial characteristics.“
Video Update:
Shōdoshima
Shōdoshima is an island located in the Seto Inland Sea within hours of Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto by car and/or train, and ferry.
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