A two a.m. start time was when Dagny Suro '27 dove into the ocean from the shores of Molokai, and the first thing she saw was something spectacular.

"There was a lot of bioluminescence… and then I started hearing dolphins," Suro recalled. "I saw a dolphin go under me and then I saw the bioluminescence shift and light up right beneath me. It was a really cool moment."

Dolphins were just one of the many memories made by rising seniors at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Berlyn Ring '27, Logan Haber '27, and Suro were the three Irish student-athletes who completed a rare feat in mid-June by swimming the Molokai Channel, a grueling 26-mile open-water swim between the islands of Molokai and Oahu. The swim is infamously known as the "Channel of Bones" because of its treacherous nature.

The three Irish swimmers were part of a six-person relay team that traversed the channel, completing the swim in 22 hours. The Molokai Channel is considered  "the most challenging and the longest" of the world's toughest swimming event: The Oceans Seven.
  "Molokai is the longest swim of the seven," Suro said, reflecting on length on the swim. "The distance definitely was the biggest concern, and the current is a lot stronger. It is a lot more turbulent, with so many more waves constantly crashing into your face."

For those not familiar, Oceans Seven is a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open-water channel crossings: the North Channel (between Ireland and Scotland), Cook Strait (New Zealand), Molokai Channel (Hawaii), English Channel (between England and France), Catalina Channel (between Catalina Island and Los Angeles), Tsugaru Strait (Japan), and Strait of Gibraltar (between Spain and Morocco).

Suro and Ring swam the English Channel last year and have previously completed the Catalina Channel making their Molokai Channel crossing the third of the seven swims. Completing all seven of the swims is an incredible feat that only 43 people have ever accomplished solo. For Suro and Ring completing all seven as part of a relay team remains a goal.

"After doing the English Channel, it made me really want to do all of them," Suro said.

All three Irish swim team members could not have completed the demanding swim without each other. Rough ocean conditions caused unbearable seasickness, requiring optimistic pep talks and plenty of mental fortitude.

"I tried to be really optimistic," Suro said. "I was like, 'Guys, we're going to make it, we're not far behind the other boat, we have to do this because it has been a goal of ours to do all these channels. We cannot quit now.'"

Seasickness and all did not slow down the trio, who made an unforgettable memory and checked off a goal that 99% of the world will never even think about attempting.

"The open water swimming community is really small, and everyone knows everyone," Suro said. "That tight knit community is one of the reasons I really want to do Ocean Sevens, because it will connect me with people from all over the world that are trying to do the same challenge."

Go IRISH!