Courtesy of WOWSA, Pacific Ocean.
In transoceanic stage swims, it usually takes a few days or weeks for all the practical operational and communication kinks to be worked out.
“Literally, on the high seas, things just don’t work out as planned and the crew tries to get everything in order and running as planned,” says Steven Munatones. “Swimming across a lake or a channel is one thing – even if it is a 2-way or 3-way crossing, but knowing that you are not going to step on dry land again for months is a whole separate issue.”
After starting in Ashikajima Beach in Choshi, Japan and getting out of the water on Day One, Ben Lecomte says, “Thanks for all the support from everyone around the world for the first day of The Swim. [It was] a historic moment for me many years in the making.
What better way to start than on World Environment Day. I hope I inspire people to change their use of plastic to create a bright future for younger generations to enjoy the oceans.”
Munatones says, “The live tracker [see here] is nice, but it would be even more convenient if the distance, time in the water, start and finish GPS locations, average water temperatures, a description of the general ocean conditions including waves, winds and any sighted marine life, and occasional updates on the ongoing research were reported – perhaps by the partners like Seeker.com or by its media representatives on its social media platforms like Facebook.”
Note: The Longest Swim has been rebranded as The Swim.
Lecomte’s swim can be followed on the Seeker [see here] and on his website.
His live tracker can be seen here and a Facebook link is here.
His program is as follows:
Start position: 35°43.220N
Stop position: 140°52.208E
Start time: 09:00am local / 00:00 UTC
Stop time: 03:00pm local / 06:04 UTC
Duration: 6 hours 4 minutes
Miles covered: approximately 9.6 nautical miles
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