In 1982 he became the first, and so far only, person to swim
non-stop from the Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico. The 51-mile swim
from Fortuna Bay, St. Thomas to Fajardo, on the east coast of Puerto
Rico, took 29 hours and 46 minutes. He was 55 years old.
"It was kind of a senior citizen thing, to show that you
don't have to quit doing things when you get older," Hauck
says.
Not bad for someone who taught himself to swim in a pool in
Detroit at the age of 19. Hauck is proud that his four children
could all swim by the time they were seven months old. And how they
can swim.
In 1986 Hauck, his wife Caroll, 50, and their children Harry
Jr. 27; Timothy, 24; Krista, 22; and Jason, 15, became the
first family to swim the English Channel in relay. They swam the
21.7 miles from Dover, England to Cap Griz Nez, France, in 11 hours
and 13 minutes.
SWIMMING FOR A CAUSE
Since 1988, Hauck has focused on his swims as a way to
promote causes he believes in. The first campaign he participated in
was the fight against drug abuse by youngsters, sponsored by the
non-profit group Hogares Crea. Hauck swam around Puerto Rico for the
anti-drug campaign. This 325-mile swim took him 36 days and included
stops in 33 island municipalities to promote the anti-drug message.
He received 14,000 written pledges to stay off drugs from school
children who were quite inspired by his accomplishment.
Four years later, the activist organized a swim to raise the
awareness of AIDS. Hauck swam 24 straight hours at El Escambron
beach in Puerta de Tierra while attendees enjoyed live music,
arts-and-crafts displays, traditional foods, theater, dance and AIDS
prevention education and counseling. He said at the time that he
wanted to make a contribution and without money or political clout
"swimming is all I have."
His passion for the ocean has led him to organize more than
300 underwater beach clean-ups since 1971. His efforts have earned
him environmental awards from local and United States governments.
Everyone is welcome to participate in the clean-ups, which are held
frequently on the island.
His next project is to swim around the islet of Old San Juan
to raise awareness of the need to clean up the oceans.
Hauck, who is licensed to certify divers by the National
Association of Underwater Instructors, also continues to teach
divers and currently offers a condensed scuba-diving course for
beginners. The course consists of a five hour videotape on the
mechanics of diving and two days of dives off beaches in or near San
Juan. After passing the written test and proving to Hauck that they
can handle themselves and the equipment, students are certified to
dive to 30 feet. He also offers intermediate and advanced diving
classes and can take up to six divers on a chartered boat for dive
excursions. |
HARRY'S
HOT SPOTS |
| After more than three decades exploring
the waters around Puerto Rico, veteran diver Harry Hauck gives
the following dive spots two thumbs up:
Cerro Gordo: A beach near Vega Gaja
with an extensive coral reef offshore.
Palominitos: An island off the
coast of Fajardo, whose waters boast a reef and a
shipwreck.
Icacos: Another island off Fajardo
with two reefs and sandy beaches.
La Parguera: On the south side of
Puerto Rico where the continental shelf ends 60 feet out from
shore.
Crash Boat Beach: A beach in
Aguadilla with old piers and crystal-clear water.
Sun Bay Beach: A beach by Esparanza
on Vieques with an offshore coral reef.
Flamenco and Tamarindo: Two beaches
on Culebra with coral reefs offshore.
El Escambron: A beach in Puerto de
Tierra with a coral reef offshore and a designated area where
divers can freely feed the fish.
|
Hauck likes to call himself "Puerto Rico's Old Man of the
Sea," but his vitality and assurance in the water make him seem
ageless. Asked how he could maintain such a long interest in scuba
diving, Hauck says it is a whole different mind-set. He gears
himself up for what he knows he could find on each dive: a
300-year-old bottle, a shipwreck or a huge variety of fish including
the exquisite queen angel, a yellow, green and blue fish with
iridescent eyebrows which he considers the most beautiful in the
Caribbean. If the adventure is what attracts him, then the hunt is
what sustains him.
Information on beach clean-ups and
scuba courses is available by calling Harry Hauck at
780-2497
WHERE PUERTO RICO OCT.
2000 |