Hokkaido

From Openwaterpedia
Ion Lazarenco Tiron's course across the Tsugaru Channel from Kodomari Benten Cape to Shirakami Misaki on Hokkaido on 25 July 2017 in 11 hours 20 minutes in northern Japan
Honshu, the northernmost island of Japan
Stephen Redmond swimming in the Tsugaru Channel off of Hokkaido on his quest for the Oceans Seven, captured in the film Defeating Oceans Seven by Red Bull Media House
Ocean Navi relay members Chika Nishibori, Kumiko Koizumi, Minori Tanaka, Syuji Nao, Hiroko Minami, Rie Tamai, Yuki Ysunoda, Tomoko Tamura, Syusei Uzawa and Kenji Kanbe with observer Masayuki Moriya and crew member Honma Motoko after crossing the 19.5 km Tsugaru Channel in 15 hours 16 minutes 17 seconds on 21 October 2020

Hokkaido (北海道 in Japanese, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso) is Japan's second largest island. It is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectures. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel. The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo, which is also its only ordinance-designated city.

Oceans Seven

Hokkaido is the traditional finishing point of the channel swims across the Tsugaru Channel and the least known of the Oceans Seven challenges. The Oceans Seven is open water swimming's equivalent of mountaineering's Seven Summits which are the highest mountains in each of the seven continents. It includes the:

1. North Channel between Ireland and Scotland
2. Cook Strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand
3. Molokai Channel between Oahu and Molokai Islands in Hawaii, U.S.A.
4. English Channel between England and France
5. Catalina Channel in Southern California, U.S.A.
6. Tsugaru Channel between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan
7. Strait of Gibraltar between Europe (Spain) and Africa (Morocco)

Achieving the Oceans Seven requires an ability to swim in both very cold and very warm seas and a tremendous amount of planning, time, financial resources and multi-national support teams of knowledgeable local experts.

Tsugaru Channel Video


Video of Brad McVetta crossing the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido, courtesy of Masayuki Moriya of Ocean-navi and the Tsugaru Channel Swimming Association


Video of Adam Walker crossing the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido, courtesy of Masayuki Moriya of Ocean-navi and the Tsugaru Channel Swimming Association


Video of Chris Kraus, Rick Gaenzle and Brian Ross relay crossing of the Tsugaru Channel courtesy of Masayuki Moriya of Ocean-navi and the Tsugaru Channel Swimming Association

External links

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