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French-American man abandons attempt to swim Pacific

16 Comments

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he wasn't swimming across the Pacific anyway he was swimming bits and pieces of the Pacific

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Those that can, do. Those that can't, complain!

Remarkable accomplishment and I am sad to see him forced to stop! I hope he makes the attempt again!

2 ( +7 / -5 )

That's too bad. I was really rooting for him.

I hope he tries again someday, and that the data collected will bear some fruits.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

It's still quite an accomplishment, and I hope some of the scientific data collected will help in some way.

本当に、お疲れさまでした!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

he wasn't swimming across the Pacific anyway he was swimming bits and pieces of the Pacific

The record is still there for the taking. Do let us know when you make your attempt at it.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Remarkable accomplishment and I am sad to see him forced to stop! I hope he makes the attempt again!

I'll second that.

That's too bad. I was really rooting for him.

Me too

I hope he tries again someday, and that the data collected will bear some fruits.

couldn't have said it better myself.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

:'(

0 ( +0 / -0 )

he wasn't swimming across the Pacific anyway he was swimming bits and pieces of the Pacific

Of course he was. Even cyclists who bike around the world or across America need rest and food, yet no one says, "Oh he wasn't actually riding across America because he wasn't continually pedaling 24 hours day." The human body has limits.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

To quote Forrest Gump:

”When I was tired, I slept. When I was hungry, I ate. And when I had to go.... you know, I went.”

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Great for him. That is no small accomplishment. So he gets back up and does it again. Keep going!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I must agree. Those being critical of this attempt are being a bit frivolous and facetious. If I may share with you readers an experience, I once had on the Chesapeake Bay. Our boat was consumed in flame from a faulty fuel pump and burned a hole straight through the hull with a white hot passion. An an older but very steady Cris Craft that been in use for years. Very well kept center consol vessle. Anyways, it went down and the three had to swim for our lives back to Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel 2 nautical miles away with life jackets on. I considered my self very healthy at the time as I was in service.

It was February and the striped bass were running hard. That nights catch, and vessel lost forever. That swim was one of the hardest things I ever had to endure. The water was frigid and the wind even worse. The more I swam towards the lights on the bridge. The more the wind seemed to veer myself and two others off target of the bridge tunnel system or a pylon. Luckliy the coast guard got our SOS distress beacon and scooped us up about halfway.

Had I not been wearing that vest. I would have surely drowned. I have total respect for this man trying to cross the Pacific Ocean. The ocean has no mercy. I hope he makes another go at it. The research collected will be very useful as well. So not a total loss. Go for it!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@SlickDrifter

I had a similar experience when surfing a reef point about 1.5km offshore an island in Okinawa.

Since we were so far from land, and we were all predominantly beach break surfers, we underestimated the tidal drift.

We thought we were fine because we were staying in the breaking zone, but didn’t realize that the movement of the current was causing the wave breaking point to move steadily west around the ring-like coral shelf that surrounded the island.

After a full afternoon, I noticed we were looking at the other side of the island. We paddled against the current for almost an hour and the sun was setting fast. I rolled off my board into the water to cool down when my foot hit the ground below us.

I don’t know how long we were paddling through shallow water, but we all felt like idiots as we trudged back through jungle trails to our car, 6km away on the other side of the cape.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@Beer.

Thanks for sharing. That walk back (heads were shaking) Duh...LOL.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Well, I had a lot of energy and was pretty fit in my 20’s. However I wasn’t really the smartest nor did I hang out with the smartest. When surfing a beach break, you’re never more than a few hundred yards from prominent landmarks, and when the tide pulls out, the water line recedes but the ocean doesn’t get noticeably shallower.

In an open water reef break, you’re far from land, the breaking point changes as the tides and current change, and when the tide pulls out the water is shallow all the way to the edge of the shelf.

Small details I didn’t consider then, but I’ll bet we coulda walked more than half the way back.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@ yubarbie - it's not a complaint, it's a statement of fact

0 ( +0 / -0 )

he swam bits and pieces of the Pacific part way to his goal, I guess you could call it an achievement

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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