Triple Crown swimmer and open water enthusiast coach Wen-Erh Hsu (30, Taiwan, MSF bio here, @wen_swims_the_channel) completed the first recorded 12.69 km coastal swim around Xiao Liuqiu, a coral island in the Taiwan Strait about 15 kilometers southwest of Taiwan.
Hsu completed the unprecedented swim with a pace swimmer and an escort kayaker [shown above]. They started at Zhongao Beach and swam clockwise nearly around the entire island in February 2024.
She explained, “The first half benefited from a favorable current. When we reached the southwestern tip near Sunset Pavilion, the current intensified to 2.5 knots, halting our progress for quite some time. Eventually, by staying very close to the reef and navigating along the rocks, we managed to push past the strong flow. After that, we continued and eventually landed at Vase Rock after 5 hours 15 minutes [see above photo on right].”
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
World Open Water Swimming Federation, a human-powered project.