Michael Moreau (@islandofmrmoreau) of New York completed a 13 hour 11 minute crossing of the 45 km Molokai Channel in 2024, and followed that channel swim with a 21.54 km handcuff swim in the calm confines of the Ala Moana Beach Park on Oahu.
Moreau set a new record for the farthest distance swimming wearing handcuffs, significantly extending the previous Guinness World Record set by Shehab Allam of Egypt who swam 11.649 km in the United Arab Emirates in 2022.
On May 27th, Moreau swam locked in handcuffs at the wrists for 9 hours 54 minutes with escort kayakers Terri Dietz and Jon Storm paddling alongside him.
Moreau explained his handcuff swimming style, “I experimented with a number of different techniques as the [swimming] stroke is up to the discretion of the swimmer. But I found the best for me was a straight-arm breaststroke kick.” His handcuffed swimming style appears to be a remarkably efficient way to progress through the water with a strong, streamlined breaststroke kick followed by a sort-of half downward breaststroke pull with an incorporated breath as he raised his head.
Today, he is going for a 45.9 km circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island in New York…also in handcuffs. This will absolutely shatter his previous distance record in handcuffs set in Hawaii: 45.9 versus 21.54 km. However, it will be interesting to see if Mr. Moreau will swim 45.9 km faster around Manhattan Island than he swam 21.54 km on Oahu.
Stay tuned. Follow him on his tracker here.
For more information on Moreau, visit www.islandofmrmoreau.com. He explains his motivations below:
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