NEW TENTATIVE AROUND OAHU SWIM 2008 SCHEDULE
Friday, September 5th (8AM) - Monday, September 15th, 2008 (6PM)
9-10 Nights (Camping On-Site) and 10-11 Full 10 hour days @ 1-2 MPH = 100+ Miles.
Swim to Begin and End from the Haleiwa Beach Area on the North Shore of Oahu!
(1) Purpose, Logistics, Geograpy and Itinerary of the Around Oahu Swim 2008
(2) How we plan to test, film and document the nearshore water quality during the Swim!
(3) The first ever attempt to circumnavigate Oahu by just one man swimming with fins?
(4) Why we are striving to "set a swim record", but will also stop to "smell" the garbage!
(5) If you point out a problem, you must have some possible solutions. What are they!
(6) Why nearshore water conditions are worsening on Oahu! What could be a solution?
(7) If we don't do SOMETHING, what are impending long-term environmental damages?
(8) Around Oahu Swim 2008 Event Map
(9) Contact Event Swimmer/Producer Alec Cooke aka Ace Cool!
(10) Video of Around Oahu Swim and the Trash Off of Waialua/Kaiaka Beach
Area! Copy this link to your taskbar:
http://www.wahinebluetv.com/video/Ace%20short%20version%20final.mov
or go to www.wahinebluetv.com, go to the Video Vault and download the Quicktime
file or Windows Media Player file which is titled "ACE Swim".
Available by Email at AceCool45@hotmail.com / By Phone Contact at 808-227-2425!
*** Final Press Release - 9/19/08 ***
Hawaii Big Wave Surfer Alec “Ace” Cooke completes “Keep
the Ocean Blue” Around Oahu Swim in 10 Days
(On Sunday, September 14th at 5PM at ‘Surf N Sea’ in Haleiwa)
Hawaii Big Wave Surfer and Waterman Alec “Ace” Cooke
completed the “Keep the Ocean Blue Around Oahu Swim 2008” on Sunday,
September 14th at 5PM just beach-side of Surf N Sea Surf Shop which is next
to Haleiwa Small Boat Harbor on Oahu’s North Shore. Ace had launched
on Friday, September 5th at 10AM on Day #1 of the swim from Haleiwa’s
Alii Beach Park which is just across the Harbor from Surf N Sea. Ace had the
constant companionship of a Support Boat with Captain Nailima and spotter
Chris provided by Matt at “Buckman’s Boat Yard” off Sand
Island Road. He had accomplished a complete swim around Oahu in 10 days at
a distance of well over 100 miles as the crow flies, and much further if you
measure the exact shoreline. Only left out of the swim were areas of known
shark population and/or military or industrial hazard zones. For a GPS map
of the exact swim see www.aroundoahuswim2008.com. What follows is a brief
description of this epic mission whose main purpose was to bring attention
to near-shore Oahu water and reef conditions. Armed with only a mask, fins,
snorkel, webbed gloves and a mini video-camera, Ace made it around Oahu in
65 hours.
Day #1/ Haleiwa Alii Beach Park to the end of the paved road at Kaena Point
in 7.0 hours. Then Ace rode in the boat for shark safety around Kaena Point
to Yokohama Bay and camped. Day #2/ Yokohama to Pokai Bay in Waianae in 8.5
hours. The crew was joined by Matt and Kim Buckman, Boysan, Keone, Banzai
Betty, Dogs, Kids and all camped one night along with Ace, Nailima and Chris.
Day #3/ Pokai Bay to past Tracks at Nanakuli in 7.0 hours. Ace, Nai and Chris
camped overlooking Ko Olina. Day #4/ Ace rode in boat for shark, military
and industrial reasons from Ko Olina Harbor all the way to Kewalo Basin. Swam
Kewalo Basin to Black Point in 6.0 hours. Camped at Buckman’s. Day #5/
Black Point to Portlock in Hawaii Kai in 6.5 hours. Camped at Buckman’s.
Day #6/ Ace rode in boat for shark safety from Portlock Point to Makapuu.
Swam Makapuu to Lanikai in 6.5 hours. Camped at Lanikai Mansion. Thanks Kailua!
Day #7/ Lanikai to Mokapu Peninsula at Castle Rock in 3.0 hours. We were escorted
by many. Thanks again Kailua! Ace rode in boat around North Beach Marine Base
and Across the outside of Kaneohe Bay. Camped just inside of China Man’s
Hat near Kualoa Park. Day #8/ China Man’s Hat to Malae-Kahana Bay campsite
in 9.5 hours. Day #9/ Ace rode from Malae-Kahana to Turtle Bay Point for Shark
Safety then swam from there to Waimea Bay in 7.0 hours. Camped at the Bay.
Day #10/ Waimea Bay to Haleiwa Surf N Sea Finish Line in 4.0 hours. The “Keep
the Ocean Blue Around Oahu Swim 2008” was over and Ace was tired but
happy as the crowd poured champagne on his wet hair!
Keep an eye on www.AroundOahuSwim2008.com and/or www.acecool.org. We will
be loading links to some of the more shocking videos of dirty water and trashed-out
shore-lines and near-shore bottoms both from the swim and afterwards now that
we have pin-pointed the most troublesome spots. Still photographs will also
be displayed on this websites and via links to other environmental sites.
More accurate water testing will begin in October 2008. For now, search Department
of Health/ Hawaii and go to the section titled “Water Quality”
for some shocking statistics! Thanks to everyone who helped out and/or took
an interest in this Vital Ocean Project. Stay Tuned Sports Fans!
A Lifetime Hawaii Resident and Local Big Wave Surfer and Waterman
will begin the “Around Oahu Swim 2008” from Haleiwa on Friday,
September 5th and finish up at Haleiwa on Monday, September 15th. Alec “Ace”
Cooke will be swimming counter clock-wise around Oahu with only fins, mask
and snorkel for a 10-11 day journey progressively and consecutively around
the north-west, west, south, east and north-east Oahu coastlines respectively.
He expects to return to Haleiwa by Monday, September 15th logging around 10-11
miles a day. He will be swimming about 10 hours each day and then ‘stopping
the clock’ an hour before sundown to camp with the support boat overnight.
The onsite camping and support boat is for safety, communications, food, water
and essentials. It also authenticates the effort. We stopped ‘here’
each day at sundown and started ‘here’ in the same place we were
at dark, each day when it is dawn. Ace has been training all summer by swimming
from Sunset to Haleiwa (about 8 miles) or from Haleiwa to the end of the road
at Kaena Point (about 8 miles). He does one or the other of these swims about
every 2-3 days.
Longtime Support Boat Captain Matt Buckman will be flanking Ace from outside
the near-shore reef areas in which he will be swimming. Matt Buckman will
be trading off on the boat driving with Nailima Ahuna and John Montgomery.
All three men are highly competent Watermen and Support Boat Captains from
“Buckman Boats” of Oahu.
The mission of the “Around Oahu Swim 2008” is to raise awareness
of near shore reef and water conditions around the island. An underwater action
cam will be attached to the swimmer at opportune times during the swim to
film near shore reefs and water. There will also be filming of the swim relative
to the support boat and shoreline to document the swim and to locate dirty
water and film ‘near urban sprawl’ shoreline water condition.
For offshore legality around military bases, most harbor mouths… and
in particular areas of known shark population like Kaena Point, Makapuu Point
and Kaneohe Bay…
Ace will ride in the support boat for safety. During those segments, the mileage
and time will be deducted from the overall totals for the “Around Oahu
Swim 2008”. A GPS will be used to track the duration and distance of
the swim. The mission’s goal is to swim just about 100 + miles around
the island in just about 100 + hours. However, the true goal of this swim
is to remind everyone to help “Keep Our Water Blue”! For maps
of the swim, photos, environmental stuff and more info check www.acecool.org
and/or www.AroundOahuSwim2008.com!
Phone Contact will be Alec Cooke at 227-2425 and/or 221-5158 before, during
and after the swim. Daytime contact during swim days is “Around Oahu
Swim 2008” Support Boat Captain Matt Buckman at 808-306-6012 and/or
Nailima Ahuna at 221-5158 and/or John Montgomery at 808-389-9544. Other Main
Media Contact before, during and after the swim will be Betty Depolito at
781-2535! Mahalo!