By hannover-web.com Draped in the national flag after successfully completing her open water swim around Manhattan, Hsu Wen-er reflects on the experience of using her life savings to pursue personal challenges. “When I swam in Manhattan twice, I had to pay for both sessions. It’s not like the second time was free,” she chuckles, having spent six months funding her dream to conquer the world’s three major open water swims: the English Channel, the Catalina Channel in California, and the Manhattan Swim. With minimal equipment, she took on all the expenses herself, from flights and accommodation to training logistics and official certifications.
In an interview with a Central News Agency reporter, Hsu shared her exhilaration upon finishing her swim, saying, “When I reached the dock where the captain called it off, I was genuinely ecstatic. I screamed and shouted, ‘Wow! I’m finally back and I achieved the goal I couldn’t complete yesterday. I’m better than I was yesterday.'”
After planning to return home empty-handed on Sunday evening, Hsu drove back from bustling Manhattan to a rented place in New Jersey, where she had been staying for over a month. In recent weeks, she had frequently traveled to the distant waters of Coney Island to adapt to the cold temperatures of the North East Coast.
She explained that the swim required skilled kayak navigation, and at one point, she found herself trapped in a challenging current for 45 minutes. Once free, she realized she had missed the tidal window for continuing north to Manhattan.
Despite having swum for 45 minutes with the iconic Manhattan skyline in view, she could only admire the Brooklyn Bridge without completing the swim. The following day’s tides were still favorable, but she was set to leave soon. Would she really walk away from New York after more than a month without success? Thanks to assistance from the New York Open Water Association, she decided to give it another try and returned to her accommodation for some rest.
Reflecting on the challenges of the past couple of days—from financial strain to mental fatigue—she noted, “The costs are quite substantial. Just booking a navigation boat and completing all the necessary certifications with the association ran close to 300,000 NTD. I had to pay for each session in Manhattan; the second swim wasn’t free!” She laughed, adding, “I needed to keep a close eye on my budget.”
Looking back at the videos and photographs, she felt joy seeing her flag waving along the route around Manhattan. “It’s great to have the flag out during such challenges, especially since we can’t always display it in other settings.”
After wrapping up her swim in New York, Hsu is heading to London before returning to Taiwan next month. She plans to jump straight back into work, focusing on teaching and promoting open water swimming. “Taiwan is an island nation, yet people are often fearful of water, like islanders turned away from the ocean. This is something we can manage with proper risk education on safety and dangers.”
Hsu emphasized, “The concept of blue economy is something developed countries have advanced significantly. Taiwan has much to learn.” She expressed pride in showcasing that people from Taiwan are engaged in these sports on international stages, turning this into an opportunity for Taiwan to shine.
