Channel swimmer, open water enthusiast, and coach Wen-Erh Hsu (30, Taiwan, MSF bio here, @wen_swims_the_channel) reminds me of the global ambassadorship of Duke Kahanamoku 100 years ago.
While Duke was at heart a competitive swimmer, surfer, and lifesaver, his legacy was also spreading the spirit of aloha and the passionate appreciation of ocean sports throughout the world. He traveled, he spoke, and he represented the Territory of Hawaii far and wide.
Initially frustrated with the lack of opportunities to swim in the sea within driving distances of her home in Taipei, Hsu started to look overseas for her first marathon swim – a 10 km sea swim in Thailand.
From there, she did domestic channel crossings in Taiwan and then found her way to England in May 2024 to learn more. From that point, there was no stopping her.
She first completed a crossing of Lake Windermere in England in 5 hours 17 minutes and then booked an English Channel slot for 2025. But good fortune was on her side and she was offered a slot in July – which she took and ended up completing the 33.5 km crossing of English Channel from England to France in 12 hours 17 minutes. Next, she was off to America’s West Coast where she took on the 32.3 km Catalina Channel betwen Santa Catalina Island and the Southern California mainland, finishing in 13 hours 21 minutes in August. Her season culminated with a 45.9 km 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan Island in New York City where she achieved the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming in October and became an inspirational icon in Taiwan.
She has also completed a 20 km Swim Öresund crossing from Sweden to Denmark in 7 hours 11 minutes, a 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar crossing from Spain to Morocco in 6 hours 3 minutes, the 15 km Cold Half Extreme Marathon Swim in Hong Kong in 5 hours 11 minutes, two English Channel relays in 2024, and gave a TEDx talk in Taiwan on her aquatic adventures, making friends throughout her global travels.
Now she is working diligently to bring the marathon swimming community to her native waters in Taiwan.
She created and is organizing the Taiwanese Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, a series of three solo unassisted marathon swims in Taiwan including a 10 km swim from Guishan Island, a 15 km swim from Xiaoliuqiu Island, and a 35 km swim from Green Island to the Taiwanese mainland.
Taiwanese Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming – Guishan Island
Guishan Island is an island in the Pacific Ocean, located 10 km east of port of Kengfang Fishery Harbor in the northeast corner of Taiwan. The island’s name is derived from the resemblance of the topography of the island to that of a turtle. The island is a dormant volcano that last erupted in 1785.
In 2000, the island was established as a maritime ecological park and officially reopened to tourists as it was formerly a military zone where public access was restricted. Currently, it is managed as a tourist destination and natural conservation area, but there are restrictions on visitors numbers due to environmental protection (capped at 400 on weekdays and 500 on weekends).
Taiwanese Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming – Xiaoliuqiu Island
Xiaoliuqiu Island is a coral island in the Taiwan Strait about 15 kilometers southwest of the main island of Taiwan with 12,200 residents.
Taiwanese Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming – Green Island
Green Island is a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean about 35 km off the eastern coast of Taiwan. It once served as a penal colony for political prisoners during Taiwan’s period of martial law, although today it is a tourist spot.
IMSHOF Interview
In her interview with International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame chairperson Ned Denison, Hsu revealed her plans for the 2025 season and beyond.
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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