Beyond the Finish Line – Part 4: For Kona Flanagan Swimming Is All About Community

The fourth installment of our series welcomes an exceptional young swimmer who took 1st Place Overall Female in the 2025 North Shore Swim Series. Now in her final year of high school and looking ahead to college next year, we had a chance to talk with Kona Flanagan about her accomplished swim journey.

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How long have you been a swimmer and what is your earliest memory of ocean swimming in Hawaii?  

I’ve been a swimmer for about a decade.  My dad would even bring me on deck while he coached the team (Kamehameha Swim Club) when I was little. I’ve been a competitive swimmer in the pool since I was seven and it’s my last year as a senior in the 25-26 year! 

My earliest memory of ocean swimming in Hawaii was the Waikiki Roughwater race. I was ten years old at the time, and my dad was going to guide me through the 2.4 miles. I was so scared to swim for over an hour straight! I didn’t know what to expect, only that my dad’s feet were going to be what I was focusing on for the next hour and a half. It ended up being so fun that I did the North Shore Swim Series that next summer! 

You come from a family of ocean swimmers correct? Tell us what that’s like and do you experience friendly competition amongst each other? 

Yes, that’s correct! It is so awesome to come from a family that is so passionate about swimming in the ocean. My dad, John, taught me all I have to know. Whether it was practicing sighting or drafting in the pool with my club (Kamehameha Swim Club), or open water practice to train for open water races on the mainland, he always gave me something useful to know. And yes! I do experience friendly competition amongst my family. During the 2024 NSSS Summer Sprint, my sister and I were battling it out for number one female! She ended up beating me up on the beach, reminding me who was boss. This year, however, I was stoked to take the woman’s win, (but my sister Kai didn’t even do it!). I didn’t know how the race was going to end up like and who I was going to swim with, but it was such an awesome sprint, and it felt good to swim with some of the boys. My little cousins Isla and Saela also participated in some of the races this summer for the first time. They did so well! It is so cool to be able to finish my own race and then see my family cross the finish line as well.

This summer you placed 1st Overall Female in the series. Tell us about that experience…did you have a favorite race and why? 

This was my first year doing all four swims in the series. A lot of my friends from my team did the first two, but I loved it so much that I had to do the last two. I am lucky to have so many fast women alongside me that I was able to race. The series let me not only race and swim, but it let me meet so many others who have the same passion as I do! I’m so happy to have taken the overall win this summer. I can’t wait for next! My favorite race this summer has to be the third one. The 1.6 mile Chun’s to Waimea was just the right length for me. It wasn’t like a sprint kind of race like the first two, but it also wasn’t too long. Even though I love any and all ocean swims, this one was definitely a favorite!

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in participating in the series for the first time? 

I’d say go for it! Swim the first 1 mile race, and if you enjoy the experience and want to challenge yourself even more, then there are three more! Swimming the series made me more confident in the ocean and each race through the summer I had even more fun.

The series has become an annual North Shore tradition amongst the open water community. What role do you feel the community plays in upholding this tradition each summer?

I think that the community plays a huge role in keeping the series alive each summer. It’s not just about showing up to swim, it’s really about the energy, passion and support that everyone brings. Whether it’s the people retuning back from last summer to swim, the volunteers that wake up extra early to make the day go smooth, or the families on the beach cheering, I think that it is the people that brings it all together to make it so special.

How do you prepare yourself for the series each year? Any tips or tricks youʻd like to share? 

I swim 6 days a week at Kamehameha Swim Club, and each day I push myself to be better. My dad and uncle are actually the head coaches there, so the club kids definitely get a lot of ocean experience through swim practice. I am always looking forward to each summer for the North Shore Swim Series after the swim season ends. A tip I have is to swim with friends! Ocean races are always fun when you have a buddy either on your own feet, or you’re on their feet! It’s so cool to watch marine life like turtles or fish together. 

What is the most challenging AND most rewarding part of swimming in the North Shore Swim Series? 

In my opinion, the most challenging part of swimming in the North Shore Swim Series is not knowing how the exact ocean conditions will be until day of. Everyone has their own preferences, but we can all agree it’s a lot easier to swim with the current than against! I’ve been through the same race where one year I went 1hr:30min and the next I went 50 minutes! The most rewarding part of swimming in the series is crossing the finish line and seeing all the people who have come together to make the race happen. It is such a good feeling seeing everyone in such an uplifting mood. I also really love the support that people give. At each race, there are so many people that watch the swimmers come in. Those people cheer and clap not only for the first people, but for the very last swimmer coming in.

What’s next for you when it comes to swimming? Anything else you’d like to share? 

My next target is to swim in college next year! I’m looking for a school that incorporates open water swimming so I can take a little piece of me from home to my new school. Even though I’ll be gone during the year, I know I will look forward to coming back and doing the summer series!!

About the North Shore Swim Series: