Courtesy of Terence Bell, Venice Beach, California.
Solo Swim Hawaii is a solo 144.8 km (90-mile) circumnavigation swim attempt around the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i scheduled for summer 2019 by Australian waterman and aquapreneur Terence Bell.
Bell, currently residing and training in Venice Beach in Southern California, is the creator of The Ocean Lover, an educational company that offers knowledge about the underwater world through digital content and physical experiences.
He estimates that the unprecedented circumnavigation will take him 15 days under the assumption that he swims 6 hours a day for 15 days as he starts and finishes in Nāwiliwili Bay as he swims clockwise around the island. Note that the exact schedule and direction are dependent on real-time weather conditions.
He will swim in the Pacific Ocean during daylight hours and a la Ross Edgley‘s circumnavigation swim around the coastlines of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland last year, he will find protection in the dusk and night hours in sheltered bays around Kaua’i.
The swim will be GPS monitored with the support crew (sailor Kaspar Paur and surfer Ryan Otto) acting as timekeepers, recording accurate logbooks, and supporting photographic evidence.
Bell will not only swim around the island, but he will also interact with the abundant marine life and underwater world that is consistent with The Ocean Lover concept and goals.
He explains the connection, “The Ocean Lover is an educational company that is dedicated to reconnecting people with the underwater world through sharing personal stories. The website features ocean-related projects, resources and an Interview Series called Ocean Lovers. This series, inspired by Fishpeople, are short interviews with people around the world who have experienced the transformative effects of the ocean.”
Bell talks of his training regimen, “I have a non-negotiable morning routine that provides the nourishment and ‘white space’ that I need to start my day on a positive and vibrant note. I’m in the water everyday, usually around sunrise when it’s calm and quiet, and there is the powerful energy of a new day beginning. I swim 2-3 miles in the Santa Monica Bay or go surfing or paddling around Malibu [in Southern California].
The ocean is my wellness doctor and has a powerful effect on my health and wellbeing. For me it’s part-meditative, part-fitness but mostly just pure fun. It provides a sense of liberation and brings an element of wonder to my daily life.
When I go for long ocean swims, I often count my strokes, 1 through to 10, or repeat a simple mantra ‘I am swimming’. I find these simple thoughts allow me to get out of my own mind and really connect with the flow of the water.“
For more information on The Ocean Lover, visit here or read more about Bell here.
For more information about the Solo Swim Hawaii, visit here.
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