"I've never won the Roughwater before," said Sakamoto, 18. "In Hawai'i, this is the biggest race, so it's exciting to finally get it."

Cassie Hunt of Brisbane, Australia, was the first female finisher in 56:37. She is in her first year with the University of Hawai'i swimming team.

A total of 887 swimmers entered the race. Unlike last year, most of them reached the finish line.

Last year, more than 260 swimmers had to be rescued from the course due to extreme currents. Yesterday, there were no reported rescues or injuries, and "less than two dozen" swimmers pulled out due to fatigue, according to race director Ted Sheppard.

"That's about normal for a roughwater swim," Sheppard said. "It was a good safe race this year, even though the current was pretty tough going against the swimmers again."

Cassie Hunt

"I remember everybody saying the inside was safer last year when the current was bad," he said. "The current was going against us again today, so I tried to take the smart course and stay inside."

The strategy worked as Sakamoto slowly pulled away from the rest of the field and finished an impressive 1 minute, 23 seconds ahead of runner-up Alex Kostich.

"I got to ride a wave coming in to the finish, so that helped a lot," said Sakamoto, who will begin his first semester at Stanford in two weeks.

Kostich, who works in the advertising department for Sony Pictures in Los Angeles, finished second for the second consecutive year. He won the Roughwater Swim in 1994 and 2002, and yesterday was his fourth runner-up finish.

The Waikiki Roughwater Swim drew 887 competitors this year with "less than two dozen" dropping out because of fatigue. Last year, more than 260 swimmers had to be rescued because of extreme currents.

Dan Frederiksen with sons, Henning, 9, and Gustaf, 7, prepare for the race at Sans Souci Beach in Waikiki. The 2.38-mile swim ended at Duke Kahanamoku Beach. The Frederiksens are from Denmark, and the boys completed a trial swim off Ala Moana Beach a few days before the race. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"But (Sakamoto) is probably a faster swimmer than I am, and he swam a smart race, so that's how he got so far ahead."

Andy Affleck of Australia and the UH men's swim team placed third in 53:37.

His younger sister, Jessica Affleck, finished second among females in 56:57. It was her second consecutive runner-up finish.

Hunt and Affleck were an impressive eighth and ninth, respectively, overall. Ashley Yamahata of Sacramento, Calif., was third among females in 58:26.

Hunt was entering the Waikiki Roughwater for the first time, and said she listened to all the horror stories of last year's race from her UH teammates.

"I went in expecting it to be rough, but it wasn't quite so bad," she said. "I certainly didn't expect to win it. I'm very much surprised by that."

Australians Grant Cleland and Trudee Hutchinson — last year's winners — did not enter this year.

Sheppard and the Waikiki Roughwater Swim committee were prepared for any surprises this year. They hired an extra team of lifeguards and had rescue boats spread across the course.

The race was also moved to yesterday to avoid a possible jellyfish invasion on O'ahu's south shores. In the previous 34 years, the Roughwater Swim was held on the Labor Day Monday holiday.

"We probably overextended what we needed to do," Sheppard said. "But safety was our top priority."

Top finishers

Male

Overall: 1, Noa Sakamoto, 49:26. 2, Alex Kostich, 50:49. 3, Andy Affleck, 53:37. 10-younger: 1, Daren Choi, 1:16:09. 2, Kale Ai, 1:38:56. 3, Austin Corpuz, 1:56:54. 11-12: 1, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, 59:04. 2, Ashton Srock, 1:03:39. 3, Taylor Fife, 1:10:21. 13-14: 1, Kekoa Taparra, 58:19. 2, Ian Mirisola, 58:20. 3, Aaron Schmaltz, 1:01:37. 15-18: 1, Dustin Fukuda, 56:32. 2, Quinton Darling, 57:14. 3, Kalen Darling, 57:45. 19-24: 1, Graeme Tozer, 57:39. 2, Thomas Winkler, 57:51. 3, Chadstein Thomsen, 59:05. 25-29: 1, John Flanagan, 54:09. 2, Kevin Smith, 58:10. 3, Kristopher Behrens, 1:02:40. 30-34: 1, Lee Wanie, 1:00:48. 2, Andrew Hill, 1:01:43. 3, Daniel O'Keefe, 1:01:57. 35-39: 1, Chris Yontez, 54:35. 2, Simon Millar, 1:02:55. 3, Lane Johnson, 1:06:43. 40-44: 1, Darryl Johnson, 54:20. 2, Grant Levy, 57:53. 3, Dean Panzica, 1:00:45. 45-49: 1, Rick Heltzel, 56:31. 2, Robert Placak, 57:04. 3, Roger Muspratt, 1:01:57. 50-54: 1, Alan Bell, 1:01:06. 2, Rick Phillips, 1:01:15. 3, Craig Taylor, 1:01:29. 55-59: 1, Bob Momsen, 1:00:12. 2, Patrick Dixon, 1:03:06. 3, Bruce Sloan, 1:07:13. 60-64: 1, David Rietow, 1:12:37. 2, Bruce Clark, 1:16:07. 3, Carl Kawauchi, 1:20:38. 65-69: 1, Ernie Leskovitz, 1:08:20. 2, Pete Schlegel, 1:32:40. 3, Brian Burt, 1:54:27. 70-74: 1, Jim Gaughran, 1:39:02. 2, Jan Blichfeldt, 2:07:22. 3, Joseph Nagi, 2:07:50. 75-79: 1, Mo Mathews, 1:40:32.

Female

Overall: 1, Cassie Hunt, 56:37. 2, Jessica Affleck, 56:57. 3, Ashley Yamahata, 58:26. 10-younger: 1, Allyson Ontai, 2:03:30. 11-12: 1, Michelle Dudley, 1:01:34. 2, Shanelle Choi, 1:02:02. 3, Rachel Randall, 1:11:45. 13-14: 1, Kristi Torkildson, 1:01:34. 2, Christel Simms, 1:03:15. 3, Courtney Weigand, 1:05:43. 15-18: 1, Bache Atkins, 59:06. 2, Samantha Vandenberg, 59:30. 3, Madeline Palfrey, 59:48. 19-24: 1, Mia Broden, 59:10. 2, Nicole Mackey, 59:25. 3, Katie Clewett, 59:34. 25-29: 1, Suzy Nicoletti, 1:01:42. 2, Kanesa Duncan, 1:02:53. 3, Kendra Yanney, 1:12:48. 30-34: 1, Miki David, 1:05:37. 2, Jana Pittichova, 1:05:46. 3, Kiriko Minoshima, 1:07:06. 35-39: 1, Linda Finley, 1:04:43. 2, Kristina Jamieson, 1:08:44. 3, Dallas Ashmore, 1:09:22. 40-44: 1, Denise Houchens, 1:14:11. 2, Rebecca Jackman, 1:15:27. 3, June Hussey, 1:16:04. 45-49: 1, Jenny Cook, 1:03:03. 2, Esther Iseppi, 1:05:01. 3, Linda Buchanan, 1:09:58. 50-54: 1, Carol Hamilton, 1:13:17. 2, Linda Kaiser, 1:19:29. 3, Lauralee Reinke, 1:23:45. 55-59: 1, Betty Ann Barnett, 1:08:31. 2, Sui-Lan Ellsworth, 1:16:46. 3, Becky Thurston, 1:37:21. 60-64: 1, Carol Jewell, 1:33:08. 2, Carolyn Behse, 1:47:39. 3, Glenda Carroll, 1:48:06. 65-69: 1, Lori Auhll, 1:56:38. 70-74: 1, Diane Stowell, 1:31:23.