The black lines at the bottom of swimming pools lead only from touch panel to touch panel, keeping swimmers in their respective lanes during races and, of course, during those endless training laps.

Monotony might be 50 meters long but it is not without aggrandizement. Those black lines also lead to focus, concentration and, for some, another type of swimming adventure.

Such has been the experience for siblings Nicole and Jayson Hagi, who will defend their respective North Shore Swim Series titles starting with Saturday’s Aloha Salads Summer Sprint. The 1-mile race is from Sunset Beach to Pipeline, the first of five scheduled events that culminate in the 2.3-mile Jamba Juice North Shore Challenge on Aug. 8 from Pipeline to Waimea Bay.

Both Hagis grew up in the water, in the pool with the Hawaii Swim Club, and in the ocean where the family enjoyed a long tradition of recreational surfing. The two went on to decorated swimming careers at Kapolei High with Nicole adding water polo honors to her resume. Nicole was all-conference in both sports at Siena College while Jayson finished his four-year swimming career at Hawaii in 2014.

Both enjoy the challenges and the rewards that being in the ocean provides.

"There are a lot more factors to take into consideration," Nicole, 26, said. "You have the currents, obstacles like the rock at Waimea to turn on, the sea lice, which are like baby jellyfish and are the worst.

"My favorite is the North Shore Challenge, which is down-current and the longest (2.3 miles). There’s really nice scenery with the reef and fish."

Jayson, 23, said he enjoys the Waimea Bay race, a triangular course that circles the bay and includes going out to Wananapaoa islets and back to the beach.

"The first time I did that race, there was a dolphin under us the whole way," he said. "I like the challenges that you don’t have in the pool. I like the strategy that goes into ocean swimming."

Jayson made all the right moves last year, winning the first three events and finishing second in the fourth. (The fifth race was canceled due to Hurricane Iselle).

Nicole, who won her age-group in her first ocean swim — the 2001 Waikiki Roughwater Swim at age 12 — was third in last year’s first event. She followed that with two second-place finishes and was ninth in the final event, finishing with enough points to claim the overall title over Ashley Forsyth, an all-conference swimmer at Western Kentucky who only competed in three races.

That the two have found such success is a source of pride and amazement to their uncle, TV meteorologist Guy Hagi, an avid surfer and former competitive triathlete.

"I was involved in triathlons when the kids were born," he said. "I noticed that the kids who were into swimming were good students and focused from their training.

"When my brother (Derrick) asked what sport he should put Nicole in, I suggested swimming. I didn’t have kids at the time but from what I saw, the kids in swimming were in a healthy environment with a great support group of parents. Both he and (wife) Renee emerged themselves in the swim club culture and that is a big commitment, being on the deck for eight hours at a meet.

"I am so proud of Nicole and Jayson. I think they’re just scratching the surface of their potential. They both have this fire inside of them. And you would never know what they’ve accomplished, they’re both so humble."

Swimming is Jayson’s preferred sport and he continues to work out with the UH team.

Nicole does a lot of cross-training, which includes pool work, lifting and water polo. She also runs several times a week while training for her third consecutive Honolulu Marathon.

The two have seen the continued growth in ocean swimming.

"You see the popularity growing," Jayson said. "When we first started, there were maybe 300. Now it’s up to maybe 900."

"The demand is also age-related. The series now has an 80-over division," race director Chris Gardner said.

"At the moment, we are at 850 for Saturday and still getting calls about late entries," he said. "I’m amazed by the interest but maybe shouldn’t be.

"Swimming has taken over running, or jogging, as the No. 1 recreational activity from what I just read. It makes sense. It’s not as hard on the joints, it’s low impact. Our swims appeal to so many for a lot of reasons."

27TH SURF N SEA NORTH SHORE SWIM SERIES
Beach check-in for all races: 7 a.m.

Saturday: Aloha Salads Summer Sprint
Sunset to Pipeline, 1 mile

June 27: Cholo’s Waimea Bay
Circle the Bay, 1.2 miles

July 11: JACO Chun’s to Waimea
Chun’s Reef to Waimea Bay, 1.6 miles

July 25: North Shore Soap Factory Lani’s to Puaena
Laniakea Beach to Puaena Point, 1.9 miles

Aug. 8: Jamba Juice North Shore Challenge
Pipeline to Waimea Bay, 2.3 miles

northshoreswimseries.com