Hawaiian Channel Swimming Association

CHANNEL SWIM CROSSING RULES

HCSA reserves the right to intrepret prior swims in context of past rules in effect.  These rules are subject to change without notice.  Rules posted at hawaiianchannelswim.org are to be considered active and the most up to date rules furnished by HCSA.  The revised 2024 certification form must be requested from: hichannelswim@gmail.com. Certification fees are periodically updated and can be found here.

Updated 1/14/2024

1. You will need an escort boat, and a support person on board to give you aid and information during the swim. Please check with boat captains regarding costs as they will vary by channel.

2. Rules are simple, swim from shore to shore, start on land with no body of water behind, and end on land with no body of water beyond. You cannot start on a jetty or end on a jetty.

3. No swim aids other than goggles are allowed, no flotation device or propulsive assistance.  

4. This means you cannot touch the boat or anything attached to the boat during the swim.

5. One textile swimsuit in one or two pieces that does not extend past the knees or the shoulders is permitted with goggles and one swim cap only. Nose clips and earplugs are allowed. 

5. Using HCSA's certification form (request at hichannelswim@gmail.com), provide written documentation that certifies the above, signed by an Observer on the boat or other escort vehicle.  Indicate the date, start time and end time, the start location and end location, boat name and skipper name, and swim data as indicated on the form. The certifier’s email address and phone number should also be included. 

6. Swimmers and crew must make every effort to avoid harming wildlife and to avoid leaving any debris in the water or on the beaches.  Anyone entering the water as part of a swim is highly advised to use State of Hawaii reef-safe-sunscreen.

7. Permission is required to enter surrounding waters and land on Kahoʻolawe Island. If you land on Niʻihau Island, you can only touch land up to the high water mark, as the rest of the island is privately owned.  It is the responsibility of the swimmers and crew to follow all local, cultural, state, and federal regulations. 

Observer- an individual that is tasked with monitoring the swimmer(s) during the swim, ensuring all rules are followed and that all swim data required in the certification form is provided.  

MULTIPLE CHANNEL SWIM CROSSING RULES

1. For multiple crossing of the same channel (e.g., double crossing) we will follow basic English Channel rules. The swim will be recorded as a multiple-crossing swim.

a. Step onto land and walk above high water mark,

b. Then immediately get back into water.

c. Can sit or stand in water up to 10 minutes.

d. Can accept food, drink, or sunscreen from support person,

e. But no one can touch swimmer.

f. After 10 minutes maximum, swimmer must resume swim back to starting island.

2. For multiple crossing of different channels (e.g., 2 different channels), follow item #1 rules. The swim will be recorded as a multiple-channel swim.

HAWAIIAN ISLAND SWIM CIRCUMNAVIGATION RULES

1. Follow all active HCSA rules listed above.

2. For continuous circumnavigation swims swimmers must swim past the starting line as measured by either gps or a fixed geographic landmark on shore in the case of shore starts and finishes and by gps only for offshore starts and finishes.

3. For staged circumnavigation swims involving the shore, swimmers must start each subsequent swim behind the finish line of the prior swim and swim past the starting line for the last swim as measured by either gps or a fixed geographic landmark on shore.

4. For staged circumnavigation swims swimmers may start and finish off shore as long as gps data supports the complete and closed-loop island circumnavigation of the swimmer.