I was back being paced by the RHIB with Jo and Maks, the problem had been solved, our two batteries were fully charged. It was an uneventful day, no dolphins, no ships just a lonely fish that decided to swim right below me for the last 3 hours.
During my last feeding breaks, I kept little pieces of bread with me and as I resumed swimming released them hoping my lonely friend would find them and not be afraid of me. It did stay with me until my last stroke of the day.
It had been a very nice day, I got some information about the weather and tomorrow wasn’t going to be the same, strong winds were forecasted.
Ben
Start: 036°03’464N 143°34.923E
Finish: 036° 10.495N 144° 17.177E
MILES SWAM: 162 NM
HOURS SWAM: 66 HRS
MILES TO GO: 4838
This morning on deck I put on my swim gear for the last time. I can see the shore, the buildings and Queens Beach where I will make landfall. The last piece of equipment are my fins, I wrote on them a message in memory of my close friend Gino. I slowly slide in the … Continued
Before I worked on this project I was no stranger to filming ocean expeditions. I have been a part of teams that explored newly discovered coral reefs at the mouth of the Amazon, conducted the first manned submersible dives in Antarctica, and hunted the depths of the Humboldt current looking for cannibal squids. Despite all … Continued
As we got closer to Hawaii, a plane form the US Coast Guard flew toward us, circled the boat twice, then went back to where it came from and disappeared at the horizon. They probably had been following us for a while and conducted a customary fly by surveillance. We waited for a call on … Continued
Another 487 nautical mile to land. Although quite far when you think about it, land feels very close these days, with an increasing amount of albatrosses, petrels and whales around us. And, now that we escaped the ferocious gales in the North, you might even spot a pair of tropical birds on these more Southern … Continued
Each day of The Swim the crew cast a net off the side of the boat, not in the hopes of catching fish but to collect microplastics. When plastic enters our oceans, it doesn’t break down but rather breaks up into smaller fragments from the combination of exposure to the sun and waves. They’re a … Continued
Education, spreading awareness and collecting scientific data, sounds like 3 things completely related. And they are. But, as I experienced during The Swim when you want to reach the three of them at the same time, there are some difficulties or at least some differences to keep in mind. Focused on plastic pollution in the … Continued
My attitude towards plastic has drastically shifted during my time on The Swim. I joined the expedition not knowing much about ocean plastic aside from rumors that there’s a great Pacific garbage patch somewhere. Every Captain and mate laughed and told me that they had never seen a “plastic patch” crossing the Pacific or other … Continued
For the past few days, our focus has been on collecting samples and data, doing observation and progressing toward Hawaii. We still encountered squalls and had to change sails back and forth. Those squalls brought with them winds and rain with such intensity that it felt like the rain was horizontal and painful when it … Continued
Today is one of my saddest days ever. Gino, one of my closest friends died. I met him through this project 7 years ago when he asked me if he could meet me on a beach in Alabama to take some footage of my training. Like many others, Gino volunteered his time and expertise, he … Continued
Day 174-175 In the first two days, we experienced big swells coming from a huge low pressure system north of us that had travelled hundreds of miles to get to our location. But that didn’t affect us much. However, we frequently had to make sail changes because of squalls. They were coming and passing bringing … Continued
It has been 100 days since we left Yokohama the last time, this means that we have been at sea and not been on land for that long. It is a little odd to me because it doesn’t seem that long. I have lost all references of time, every day looks the same. There is … Continued
On day 169, we passed the dateline it was on November 19, and the following day it was still November 19th, we lived the same day twice. I spend my days at the helm, from sunrise to sunset. All day long I can only skim the surface of the ocean since I don’t swim and … Continued
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Lonely Fish Day – Love it. Uneventful days are the best for accomplishing the goal. 😊
Ben, i think of you every day when I swim my laps. Wish i could swim with you for a day!
Yes, wouldn’t it be great if we could swim along here and there with Ben and his crew, just like that lonely little fish! My thoughts often go to what must be a tiny spec of humanity making their way ever forward across the great blue expanse of Pacific Ocean. “Fortune favours the brave”!
Hi Ben & team,
Thank you so much for your imperessive action!
I hope,the waves are smaller now and you could use the non-swimming time for relaxing. Go on bravely!
Ben, is sea-sickness a daily issue during your long swims? How can your sense of balance cope with the waves such.a long time a day?
Best wishes Brigitte
Hello Brigitte, thank you for your comment! We’ve been blessed with some better weather after a few storms. Sea sickness has struck a few members on board, but it’s only the rough days that get us. The best solution for sea sickness is getting in the ocean!
Hello Wave-fighter and ocean-savers,
Thanks for replying!
You are tough&creative. You are in my thoughts during my own smaller open water swims in the Baltic sea. (Tony waves compared to yours). I spread your action widely in my community. Ben,
Is your snorkel a special product designed or upcycled for you? Seems larger than normal ones ?
Greetings from Kiel
Brigitte
Thank you for your notes. Great to hear the technical issues got resolved. And I love the visual of the Lonely Fish…
Blessed be your journey!!!