Corona del Mar Man Strolls Across Channel : Attorney Takes a Walk on the Wet Side

Daniel Hodes, a Corona del Mar attorney, took a stroll overseas Wednesday and wound up making headlines in Europe.

Hodes became the first American--and only the second person ever--to “walk” across the English Channel, completing the 22-mile crossing on a pair of pontoonlike devices attached to his feet.

Standing upright and using a double-bladed paddle to propel himself, the 32-year-old tri-athlete shuffled his way through relatively calm seas from Shakespeare Beach, England, to Wissant, France, in just under six hours, according to the London-based Channel Swimming Assn.

The only other “water walker” to cross the often treacherous channel was Austrian Helmut Strohmaier, who needed almost 10 hours to do it in 1985.

The difference Wednesday was favorable weather, Hodes said in a telephone interview from England. He described channel conditions during the crossing as “perfect”--relatively calm seas, light side winds and clear skies.

“The English Channel can be unforgiving,” said Hodes, who wore only a tank top and shorts as he made the crossing in chilly 60-degree air. “But today it was a tame lady. We got real lucky.”

Channel crossings by swimmers are relatively routine these days, but Hodes’ walk drew special attention.

“It’s not everyday that a man walks on water,” said Brit Chapman, a ferry operator in Dover, England. “Outside the Bible, not many men have been able to accomplish that.”

For Hodes, the crossing is the high-water mark in his year-old fling with the obscure sport of water walking. Invented in the late 1970s by European snow skiers looking for ways to stay fit in the off-season, the sport has been slow to take hold in this country.

But Hodes has become one of its biggest converts, traveling the globe in search of new waterways to walk. In July, the defense attorney crossed the Strait of Gibraltar between Morocco and southern Spain. He also has walked the Cook Strait in New Zealand and, a year ago, Hodes and Dana Point magazine publisher David Moe completed a 34-mile, 12-hour walk from Catalina Island to Newport Beach.

“There’s nothing like it,” Hodes said, “the feeling of sliding along on top of the water.”

Hodes’ equipment, which cost approximately $500, consists of two 16-pound molded plastic pontoons called Skijaks and the 10 1/2-foot-long paddle.

The water walker attaches the pontoons, which look like miniature kayaks, to each foot and then uses the paddle to push forward in a sliding or gliding motion. The movement, Hodes said, is similar to that used in cross-country skiing.

Triathlon Competitor

An accomplished triathlon competitor, Hodes said he took up the sport because he had “grown bored with conventional” training methods, such as kayaking to and from Catalina. “I had serious doubts at first, but once I tried it, I got the bug,” Hodes said. “It’s a terrific workout.”

The channel crossing had been in the works for nearly two months, Hodes said. Mid-September was the target date because tides are generally more predictable this time of the year.

Like his other walks, Wednesday’s channel crossing was a benefit for a local charity, in this case the British Cancer Research Campaign. Corporate and private sponsors were asked to pledge money per mile, but it was not immediately known how much was raised.

After a pre-walk meal of “strong” coffee and a couple of sweet rolls, Hodes shoved off from the English shore, the coast of France clearly visible in the distance. He was accompanied by a small boat and crew of three but, Hodes said, “Thank God, I never needed their help.”

To pass the time, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound water-walker said he sang Beatles songs. His only close encounter with trouble was with jellyfish that kept sticking to his paddle flaps.

Once on French soil, Hodes said, he celebrated with a round of beers and talked of his next target: the 50-mile-long Panama Canal.

“There’s a lot of water in this world,” he said. “My only limitation is time.”