Sayani Das, a 24-year-old woman, from East Burdwan’s Kalna on Thursday set a record by crossing the unpredictable Molokai Channel on the Hawaiian Islands.

Molokai Channel is around 43 kilometers long and it reaches a depth of 2,300 feet at a few places.

Sayani had earlier crossed the 19km long Rottnest Channel in Australia, Catalina Channel in California and English Channel from 2017. Molokai channel is her fourth such long swim and it is the longest among the challenges she has overcome.

Sayani had dived into the Molokai channel at around 10am on Thursday and crossed the channel after rigorous swimming for over 19 hours.

“We are really happy that she has crossed the great Molokai Channel. I can say it was not an easy task. Her dedication towards the practice led her to cross the Molokai channel,” said Radheshyam Das, father and coach of Sayani.

Das, who is a headmaster of a primary school in Kalna, claimed that Sayani’s achievement was the first by any Asian woman.

According the website of the Molokai Channel Swimmers’ Association, the stretch was first crossed in 1920s by Pua Kealoha, while Robin Isayama is recorded as the first woman to have achieved the feat in September 1994. The website doesn’t attribute any timing to Kealoha, but Isayama took 15 hours and 21 minutes to conquer Molokai Channel, which is a little over 43km stretch of water that is known for its unpredictable nature and strong current.

What adds to the challenges of swimmers in the ocean stretch are sharks and venomous box jellyfish that have tiny dart-like tentacles loaded with poison that are enough to kill a person or trigger a cardiac arrest.

Sayani Das Facebook

Local people and family members said the resident of Baruipara area of Kalna town, Sayani, was introduced to swimming by his father who is a sports enthusiast. Sayani, who is a postgraduate student, started her practice in 2020 with a dream to cross the Molokai Channel.

After years of rigorous practice and the plunge delayed by the pandemic, Sayani, along with Radheshyam, reached Hawaii on March 29 but she could not start her practice in Molokai due to bad weather and high current in the channel.

“Sayani had practiced for 22 days under the leadership of experts in Molokai before she crossed the channel,” said her father over phone from Hawaii.

Burdwan district magistrate Priyanka Singla said the district was proud of Sayani and a team of the officials will felicitate her once she returns from Hawaii.

“We are really proud of Sayani and would formally felicitate her when she returns to Kalna,” said the district magistrate.