Fifty-one kilometres of open ocean, with no land in sight for the first hour: that is the reality of the Kaiwi Solo, a 51km (32-mile) outrigger canoe race across Hawaii’s Kaiwi Channel, widely regarded as one of the most demanding open-water crossings in the sport.

“You cannot see a thing – you have no point of reference,” said Alex Hunter. “It is extremely disorienting and unnerving setting off. It’s not until about an hour into the race that you can start to visualise where you are heading.”

Earlier this month, Ekaterina Lukyanets, a 39-year-old software engineer, and Hunter, 38, water sports manager at Victoria Recreation Club, became Hong Kong’s only female and only male participants in the annual event, each paddling the full 51 km alone.

For Hunter, the race had long held a near-mythical status. “It is not a race everyone can enter, and it is not a race everyone can finish,” he said. “That highly coveted nature is what drew me to it.”

After seven years in the sport, including local competitions and a 128km team race in Tahiti, he decided last year that the time had come.

What followed was six months of disciplined preparation: four to five sessions a week, often starting at 6am, with monthly mileage exceeding 400km.