One Record Setting Swim Complete, Another Prepares To Begin

While we're on the subject of aquatic adventures today I had a couple of stories about some epic swims cross my desk in the past day or two. The first of which is a team of South African relay swimmers who set a world record by swimming 350km (217 miles) in 106 hours. That's a very impressive feat considering that adds up to nearly 4.5 days in the water.

The team, which consisted of Russell Tucker, Greg Tucker, SanMari Woithe, JC van Wyk, Brenton Williams and Ralph West, took turns swimming 3.1km (1.9 mile) laps in the Marina Martinique at Jeffreys Bay. They began their record setting swim last Wednesday and finished up over the weekend after continuing non-stop, day and night, through rain, wind and electrical storms for much of that time. At night they were accompanied by paddlers who stayed close to ensure their safety.

Congrats to the team for completing this epic swim. The grind that they had to have felt over the course of those days must have been incredible. Swimming lap after lap, even as part of a relay team, takes a great deal of endurance and I have a lot of respect for these athletes.

One athlete who is ramping up for an epic swim of his own is Ben Lecomte. In April he is planning on embarking on a solo-swim across the Pacific Ocean that will begin in Tokyo and end in San Francisco. Outside Online has a good article today about Ben's quest, which will cover more than 8850km (5500 miles) of open water. He expects to be in the water eight hours a day, averaging roughly 64km (40 miles) per day. At that pace, it will take him five months to complete the crossing.

Lecomte, who once swam across the Atlantic Ocean, will use a GPS device to keep track of his position at any given time. That will ensure that he begins his swim at the correct spot each day as he'll spend nights resting aboard a sailboat. That rigid tracking will allow us to follow his progress but is also a requirement for Guinness to officially recognize his achievement.

While he'll have to deal with the physical demands of the swim, not to mention potential shark encounters, Outside notes, Ben's biggest concern could be getting enough food. It is estimated that he'll burn in excess of 8000 calories per day and it can actually get to be tiresome to consume enough food over weeks of that kind of exertion.

Just reading about either of these long-distance swimming events makes me tired.

Deepsea Challenge Update: Cameron Survives The Abyss, Returns Without Aliens

Yesterday was a historic day in the exploration of our planet's oceans. James Cameron became just the third person – and the first to dive solo – to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the lowest point on our planet. Cameron made the dive inside a specially designed submersible that took him nearly 11km (7 miles) beneath the surface.

The project, which is called the Deepsea Challenge, has been a dream of Cameron's for some time. He partnered with National Geographic and Rolex on this expedition, which was shot in high definition 3D for an upcoming documentary. It took him about 2.5 hours to descend into the Challenger Deep, the lowest point in the Mariana, at which point he spent roughly 3 hours exploring and filming the trench. He then proceeded back to the surface, more quickly than anticipated, with a return trip that took just 70 minutes.

Those hoping that he would find giant sea creatures or aliens lurking in the depths will be sadly disappointed in what was actually down there. In a post-dive press conference Cameron described the bottom of the ocean as "lunar, desolated, isolated." He also noted that what life he did see was quite small and didn't include large jellyfish or anemones.

The voyage to the bottom of the sea wasn't without a few issues. A mechanical arm that would have been used to collect samples from the trench failed to work and a mechanical failure caused him to lose his starboard thrusters. That meant he was simply spinning in place for a time, which caused him to cut about three hours off the dive. For the most part the mission was a big success however and plans are already underway to make another return trip sometime in the next few weeks. No word on whether or not Cameron will be the one piloting the sub or if one of the other team members will be able to take over those honors.

Congrats to Cameron and his entire team on a job well done. I can't wait to see some footage from the bottom of the ocean. I'm already looking forward to the documentary, which is probably at least a couple of years away at this point.

Deepsea Challenge Update: Waiting For Calm Seas

Last Friday I posted a story about James Cameron's attempt to dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which is the lowest point on our planet at 10,912 meters (35,800 ft) below the surface of the ocean. Considering that there was a lot of interest in Mr. Cameron's little journey, I thought I'd follow-up with some news today.

When I first wrote about the Deepsea Challenge it wasn't clear exactly when Cameron would attempt the dive, although we did know that he intended to do it soon. The Hollywood director and his crew are racing to beat four other teams, including one sponsored by Richard Branson, to the bottom of the sea and after completing the testing phase of their submersible, a specially designed vehicle named the Deepsea Challenger, they are eager to get underway. With that in mind, earlier this week the team left Guam and have proceeded to the South Pacific where they are anxiously awaiting calm seas and good weather to begin the long and perilous journey to the depths of the ocean. You can read the Captain's Logs on the conditions by clicking here.

And just how perilous is this journey? Cameron will be making a solo dive inside the Challenger to seven miles below the surface. At that depth the ocean exerts 1000 times more pressure than it does at sea level, which is strong enough to crush anything not specifically built to resist those conditions. He'll be going where only two other men have ever gone – those two men being ocean explorers Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard who did it back in 1960. Yep, the journey is so dangerous that it has only been done once before and that was 52 years ago.

While he's down there, Cameron intends to collect a number of samples for use in a variety of scientific research. He'll also be shooting the entire voyage in high definition 3D which will be used in an upcoming documentary and possibly even for some scenes in Avatar 2. When Walsh and Piccard visited the bottom of the trench, they weren't able to see much at all, let alone bring back quality film footage. Technology has improved dramatically since then however, and we can expect some stunning visuals when the film is eventually released.

Stay tuned for more updates. It sounds like the dive could happen any day now. When it does, it'll take nine hours both directions and Cameron is planning on staying at the bottom for as many as five hours as well. I get the feeling he won't be the only one holding his breath until he returns to the surface.

Deepsea Challenge: James Cameron To Dive The Mariana Trench

At 10,912 meters (35,800 ft) below sea level the Mariana Trench is the deepest point on our planet. It is so deep in fact that it has only been visited by humans once and that was back in 1960 when explorers Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard made the perilous voyage to the bottom of the sea. That means that more men have walked on the moon than have visited the trench, which is simply amazing when you think about it. Now, director James Cameron is planning on diving into the trench as well and, as you would expect, he plans to make a movie about the experience.

Last week Cameron completed testing of the specially designed and built submersible that he'll use on this dive. On the last test run he took the vehicle down to about five miles below the surface of the Earth and the equipment all checked out and performed to spec. Following that shakedown cruise he immediately traveled to Guam, where he is making the final preparations for his journey into the trench, which runs for more than 1500 miles along the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

The expedition is being called the Deepsea Challenge and Cameron has partnered with both National Geographic and Rolex on this endeavor. During the dive, he'll spend approximately five hours at the trench's lowest point, known as the Challenger Deep, where he hopes to gather a variety of samples to be used in a number of research projects. The voyage down and back up will take an additional 90 minutes in both directions and all the while he'll be filming the expedition in High Definition 3D. That footage will be used in a documentary, most likely for IMAX, sometime down the line.

There is no exact date yet set for the dive, but Cameron and his team are working towards launching the expedition in the near future. The video below gives us a bit of perspective on what he can expect as he makes this journey to the ocean's deepest point.

New Ocean Rowing Race Announced

Have you ever wanted to row across an ocean? If so, then I have good news for you, as there is a new ocean rowing race on the way in June of 2014. The Pacific Rowing Race, as it is officially known, will begin in Monterey Bay, California and end in Honolulu, Hawaii, covering more than 2100 nautical miles in the process.

Most of the details are still being filled in, including entry fees and specific starting and ending dates, but you'll find some of the preliminary info on the race's official website. Already in place is a short FAQ that answers some very basic questions about ocean rowing in general, and there are also pages dedicated to the history of the route, boats and equipment to be used, what to expect out of the weather, and more.

Obviously paddling for 2000+ miles over open sea isn't for everyone, but it is great to see a new event of this type being launched. Since it is still more than two years away from starting, it also gives plenty of interested rowers an opportunity to plan and prepare. If you happen to be one of those people who could possibly compete in this race, you can register your interest with an online form found here.

Video: Surfing HUGE Waves Off Tahiti

In the surfing world, Tahiti's Teahupoos (pronounced cho-po) are amongst the most legendary and coveted waves on the planet. This past August, they reached epic sizes while the Billabong Pro surfers were on hand, and the results can be seen in the video below. The waves on display are immense walls of water that look as deadly as they are beautiful.

The video was shot by filmmaker Chris Bryan, who captured the dramatic action perfectly. Amazing stuff!



BIGGEST TEAHUPOO EVER, SHOT ON THE PHANTOM CAMERA. from Chris Bryan on Vimeo.

Australian Rower Hopes To Become Youngest Across The Pacific

While we're on the topic of ocean rowing today, here's another story of interest. Australian Ben Turner hopes to become the youngest person to row solo and non-stop across the Pacific Ocean when he sets out from Peru next year. He'll also undertake the journey to raise funds and awareness for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis as well.

Ben expects his voyage to take approximately 275 days to complete, covering 13,000 km (8077 miles) in the process. He'll start at Lima Peru and make is way towards the Marquesas Islands, before turning in a more southerly direction, traveling to Fiji, and then on to Australia, eventually rowing home to Sydney. He intends to make this a non-stop journey however, which means that while he will pass within a short distance of a number of South Pacific islands, he won't be pulling into shore on any of them.

No word on exactly when he'll set out, but this will certainly be an impressive journey. The Pacific is the largest ocean on Earth and to row across it non-stop and solo will be an amazing feat. Stay tuned for updates as Ben gets closer to his departure.

Missing Sailor Feared Eaten By Cannibals

Here's your "What century is again?" story of the day.

A 40-year old German sailor, named Stefan Ramin, has gone missing in French Polynesia, and is believed to have been eaten by cannibals. Ramin and his girlfriend Heike Dorsch, have been sailing around the world over the past three years, and stopped on the island of Nuku Hiva, where they planned to spends some time off the ocean.

A few weeks back, Ramin went for a hike on the island with a local goat hunter by the name of Henri Haiti. Later in the day, Haiti returned alone and told Dorsch that there had been an accident and that her boyfriend needed help. When Dorsh attempted to call the police for assistance however, Haiti tied her to a tree and sexually assaulted her, before disappearing into the jungle.

Later, Dorsh was able to free herself and alert authorities, who immediately began searching the area for signs of Ramin. Last Saturday, after a week of searching, they believe they discovered his remains in the ashes left over from a fire, where they found a human jawbone and teeth that are believed to have belonged to the German man.

According to the story linked to above, Nuku Hiva was the setting of two novels by Herman Melville and has had a history of cannibalism in the past. That said, there have been no reported cases in more than a century, and the island's 2000 residents are said to be baffled by what happened to the missing sailor. The one man who can actually tell the whole story, Henri Haiti, is still missing as well.

This is certainly a strange story to say the least. I know that there are a lot of remote places on the planet, some with indigenous people who live much the same way as they have done for centuries. But it has been a long time since I've heard anything about cannibals. While it certainly is still a possibility I suppose, but I think it's probably more likely that something happened between Haiti and Ramin, and Haiti tried to cover it up by burning his remains. After all, its pretty evident that Haiti isn't the most respectable of men to begin with.

Ramin and Dorsch were planning on sailing to New Zealand in a few weeks time, where they were also planning on ending their three-year voyage. Sad that it had to finish like this.

Thanks to Outside magazine for sharing this story.