June 27, 2025
Since 2009, Shark Stewards has swimming for sharks, with an annual open water awareness swim starting with our innagural Round the Rock Alcatraz swim to support the California Shark Fin Trade Ban. Over the years Ive swam across the San Francisco Bay, circumnavigated Pom Pom Island in Borneo, and swam to Gili Laysan to create a marine protected area in Lombok, along the California Coastline with Night Train Swimmers, and even swimming four hours in the Bay through COVID without wetsuit, shower or sauna.
Swimming in the ocean sustains me. Unlike surfing, diving or paddling, swimming is free of gear, and the rhythmic cadence is meditative and freeing. I often swim alone, and here in Kona Hawai’i the view beneath me is always mesmerizing. The yellow and golden eye tangs, blocked (for now) from commercial aquarium fish collectors, forage the algae from the coral. Larger fish like the Uhu (parrotfish) and Ulua (trevally) swim among the craggy coral heads in Kahalu’u Bay. Outside on the drop off, the turquoise water’s color deepens and shadows shift and loom. Tiger sharks patrol the edge of the Bay and whitetip reef sharks sleep in the overhangs created by the uplifted coral. Along the reef and sometimes inside the bay, and occasionally inside the Bay, our local shark lurks. The Sharks of Hawaii Instagram drone often documents our local Bruno, an oceanic blacktip shark that can be aggressive and has closed the beaches at Kahalu’u and Magic Sands.
Respect the Locals
Sharks are often painted as the villians, but in fact, sharks are the victims from overfishing and loss of habitat. This year I will be swimming for sharks starting July 5th in the Triple Crown Kona swim in Kailua Bay, along the course I last swam in the Hawaii Ironmant Triathlon Championships. This is a a starter swim to a GoFundMe building towards a point to point 10K swim in Bruno’s backyard from Magic sands to Kahalu’u Beach Park August 9, 2025.
This year we are swimming for shark awareness and youth ocean education. You can follow the swim with updates as I train, searching for Bruno on Instagram, and swimming for sharks and ocean health.
Thanks for following and supporting sharks!
David McGuire, Director
Shark Stewards