Maui Channel Swim

In Hawaiian, Au'au translates directly to "to take a bath," a tribute to the sheltered, warm water filling the passage. The Maui Channel Swim is an open-water sea race across the Au'au Channel from Club Lanai Pier on Lānaʻi to Ka'anapali Beach at Black Rock, near Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii. Established in 1972, this point-to-point ocean journey covers a distance of 15,288 meters, or 9.6 miles. Organized by the Lahaina Masters Swim Club, the event is held in September. The morning begins early, with swimmers taking to the ocean from the pier. Swimmers must be at least 14 years old to enter the crossing, tackling the channel either as soloists or in relay squads of three or six competitors.

Traditional marathon swimming rules apply throughout the field: wetsuits are strictly prohibited, meaning participants must face the Pacific wearing only standard swimsuits and goggles. To earn official recognition, teams and solo swimmers must reach the sands of Ka'anapali within a strict six-hour cutoff. The channel water is delightfully tropical, with temperatures generally hovering between 79°F and 82°F. Offshore visibility is legendary, frequently extending beyond 100 feet down into the crystalline blue depths. While West Maui shelters the Au'au Channel and keeps its surface among the calmest sea passages across the islands, conditions can turn demanding. Midday trade winds typically build to 15 or 20 knots, whipping up choppy waves in the second half of the race. In past editions, such as in 2010, competitors have had to battle rolling swells, rough chop, and stings from Portuguese man-o-war.

Lahaina Roads: whale sanctuary and open channel waters

The central basin of the passage is known as Lahaina Roads, reaching across toward the island of Lānaʻi. About seven kilometres from the race course lies the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Nearly two-thirds of the entire North Pacific humpback whale population migrates to the sanctuary's protected waters each winter to breed and nurse their calves. These massive marine mammals undertake a migration of nearly 3,000 miles from the feeding grounds of Alaska, completing the open-ocean passage in less than two months. Within the sanctuary, adult humpback whales can grow up to 55 feet in length and weigh roughly one ton per foot of length. Because they are air breathers, these whales surface every thirty minutes and exhale through their blowholes at speeds reaching 300 miles per hour. During winter months, male humpbacks congregate in active competition pods, jostling aggressively in the water to win the role of escort for an accompanying female.

Mala Wharf and Carthaginian II: reefs and shipwrecks

Mala Wharf was constructed in 1922 upon the footprint of 'Alamihi, an ancient Hawaiian fishpond. The pier was originally designed to facilitate the export of local sugar and pineapple crops, but strong ocean currents made docking large cargo vessels impossible. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki struck the coast and collapsed the structure into the sea. Rather than disappearing, the debris formed an intricate artificial reef full of underwater caves and dramatic overhangs. Today, the sunken ruins provide a thriving shelter for marine life, harboring whitetip reef sharks, schools of butterflyfish, and branches of black coral. About eight kilometres from the race course, near Puamana Beach Park, another artificial reef lies submerged at a depth of approximately 30 meters.

Here, the museum ship Carthaginian II was scuttled in 2005 to create a new diving destination. The vessel's steel hull was originally built using materials intended for U-boats, and the ship eventually sailed on a 105-day journey from Denmark to Hawaii, arriving in 1973. Today, the wreck sits 0.8 kilometers off the shoreline and ranks among Maui's top diving locations. Further along the coast, about nine kilometres from the race area, Honolua Bay and Mokuleʻia Bay form a 45-acre marine protected area. The shoreline along both bays is defined by rugged coastal terrain. While Mokuleʻia Bay features a sandy beach fringed by coral reefs, Honolua Bay is characterized by a rocky shoreline and expansive reef formations.

Lahaina waterfront: royal seat, whaling anchorage, and Ka'anapali

Before 1778, the 'Alamihi fishpond was the setting of an ancient battle between the high chief of Maui, Kauhi'aimokuakama, and Kamehameha I. In 1795, Kamehameha I landed at Lahaina to launch his conquest of Maui. Lahaina was celebrated for its groves of breadfruit trees and served as the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Between 1837 and 1845, the sacred island of Mokuʻula, situated within Mokuhinia lake in the heart of Lahaina, was the official royal residence. The first whaling ships arrived at Lahaina in 1819, and between 1840 and 1855 the deep anchorage of Lahaina Roads made it an active whaling harbor. To protect the town from rioting sailors during the peak of the whaling boom, Governor Hoapili built the Old Lahaina Fort in 1831.

The anchorage at Lahaina Roads was even considered in later years as an alternate mooring location for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Today, the Lahaina Historic District extends from Puʻuona Point in the north to Makila Point in the south, with its western reach extending across the waters toward Lānaʻi. Lahaina sits in the rain shadow of the West Maui Mountains, making it one of the driest places in the Hawaiian archipelago. Near the port stands the historic Lahaina banyan tree, planted in 1873 near the site of Kamehameha I's first palace, making it the oldest fig tree of its kind in Hawaii. A former water canal that once ran alongside the tree is believed to nourish its root system beneath the road surface.

Historically, locals tied mayonnaise jars filled with water just below the aerial roots to encourage them to reach the ground, and every evening at dusk, common myna birds flock to roost in its sprawling canopy. In 2023, severe wildfires driven by Hurricane Dora to the south and high pressure to the north damaged the iconic tree. North along the shore at Ka'anapali Beach, where swimmers conclude their channel crossing on the sands by Black Rock, motorboats and sailboats regularly depart for whale-watching cruises across the very waters crossed stroke by stroke.