The year 12 pupil is fundraising for CanTeen Otago, which cares for children with cancer, and is looking for sponsorship of either a set amount or on a per-kilometre basis.
Standing on Pumpkin Point between Otematata and Omarama on Wednesday as he prepared to train, Connor explained his choice of charity.
"CanTeen appealed to me because it deals with teens," he said.
"There was a student at school who got diagnosed with cancer. He was a few years below me but it just shows that it can affect people around you."
Connor regularly swims between 15km-20km a day at Moana Pool in Dunedin, but he admitted it was a very different proposition to swimming 17km down the Waitaki hydro lake.
"You get disorientated in the lake - in the pool you can follow the blue T," he said.
"In the lake, you don't know where you are sometimes."
The endeavour stems from the McGlashan Challenge - one pupil each year is selected to plan, organise and complete an undertaking of their choosing.
The swim is to be completed on either the first or second weekend of December, depending on the weather.
If it is delayed, the swim will take place after Waitangi Day, as the lake gets crowded with holiday boaties in late December and January.
Connor will return to John McGlashan College next year after the swim and a month spent skiing at Hood River, Portland, United States.
Following that, he hopes to claim one of 20 spots per year reserved for helicopter pilots in the navy. That would be difficult, as the navy tended to select older applicants with more life experience, he said.
The alternative would be enrolling in a two-year helicopter course in Te Anau.
Donations and sponsorship are welcome at http://canfans.org.nz/cause/swimforcanteen.
