Search Here

Chris Bertish paddled his way into history as the first man to ever cross the Atlantic Ocean using a stand-up paddleboard (SUP).

He started his epic journey from Agadir, Morocco and landed in Antigua in the Carribean. Chris Bertish used a modified stand-up paddleboard that had GPS, solar panels, and a cabin that allowed him to rest dry. The whole feat took 93 days from start to finish.

Bertish Logged His Whole Journey

According to CCN, he kept a blog during his journey on the stand-up paddleboard and had regular updates on Facebook. One of the more exciting events that happened in Chris Bertish's journey was when he encountered a great white shark while he was in the water for a quick swim off of the SUP.

Just The First Of Many For Bertish

Not only was Chris Bertish the first to cross the Atlantic by stand-up paddleboard, he was also the first to do that unassisted, and unsupported. He ate the same thing every day and was generally self-supporting in his crossing of the Atlantic (via ABC).

Bertish also paddled 70 kilometers each day and travelling by night as he needed to avoid the heat of the sun in open water. He also set the record for travelling solo and unsupported in a day over open ocean.

Such An Adventurous streak

This is not Chris Bertish's first extreme adventure. He is an established big-wave surfer and has surfed in the prestigious Maverick Big Wave Invitational, which incidentally has the biggest waves in the surfing circuit. Bertish also has set the world record in a 12-hour nonstop stand-up paddleboard travel over an open ocean in South Africa and also has recorded the fastest crossing of the English Channel in 2013 in just over five hours in 2013 also using a stand-up paddleboard.

Other Atlantic Journeys

While Chris Bertish was the first on the stand-up paddleboard, there were other adventurous souls who have conquered the Atlantic using unconventional ways. The first ever solo crossing was done by Aleksander Doba from Poland at 67 years of age. A Hungarian Gabor Rankonczay also traveled the Atlantic in a canoe and arrived at the other side of the ocean in 76 days.