Epic Swim Maui: Swimming 160 Miles of Open Water for Ocean Health Awareness
Epic Swim Maui’s founder says there is now a proof of concept to turn the open water swim around the island into an ongoing event.
Photo: Dayanidhi Das/Epic Swim Maui
Fifteen world-class open water swimmers from six continents, including three from Hawai‘i, embarked on an extraordinary 160-mile swim around Maui in July. Epic Swim Maui is the brainchild of Maui waterman and video editor Robby Seeger, whose overall vision is to raise awareness about ocean health and promote ocean safety. Photographer Dayanidhi Das took part in the endeavor, capturing stunning images of the participants, ranging in age from 26 to 66, during their 13 days of swimming. Local swimmers included Boca Hawai‘i triathlon coach Stefan Reinke, triathlete Ryan Leong and John Kaleimakali‘i Clark, surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku’s great grand nephew.
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It’s clear from a conversation with founder Robby Seeger that this summer’s Epic Swim Maui wasn’t pursued for fun, recognition or money. The former champion windsurfer, a native of Germany who has lived on the island for some 37 years, passionately conveyed a higher purpose—to advocate for ocean health by bringing together some of the planet’s best open water swimmers for an ultra-challenging swim. He also wanted to draw attention to Native Hawaiian culture and the Islands’ Indigenous past.
“I believe the culture of Hawai‘i, rooted in aloha, can help heal the world,” he says. “This is a very powerful place.”
As an official United Nations project, the swim held in July took two years to plan and execute, receiving support from Maui County, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and other groups and individuals. During the event, legendary Hawai‘i waterman and Hōkūle‘a voyager Archie Kalepa led a team on boats and Jet Skis to keep the swimmers safe. “There’s been so much community support,” Seeger says, adding that his overall vision is to create an ongoing event, and that the 2024 event serves as the “proof of concept.”
Photo: Dayanidhi Das/Epic Swim Maui
Videographers were on hand for the 13 days of swimming, and 20 days overall, and Seeger plans to turn their footage into a documentary. “We have 60 terabytes of footage, and we’ll be in production probably for the next four to six months,” he says. “The plan is to have a cut for [film] festivals next year. We want to reach as many people around the world as possible to partake in the conversation on ocean health.”
epicswimmaui.com, @epicswimmaui
