If ‘off the beaten path’ is your idea of a holiday, then Spain’s Antonio de la Rosa’s idea of a vacation would seem ideal.
The Spaniard went on a never-done-before kind of a holiday, when he ended up paddling from California to Hawaii, in turn crossing the Pacific Ocean.
It took de la Rosa, 76 days to paddle 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometres) while standing on a submarine-shaped craft that he has described as a paddleboat. The 21-foot-long (6.4-meter-long) vessel endured rough weather, including Hurricane Flossie, when it passed within 60 miles (200 kilometres) radius.
So, how did he survive the expedition?
He ate dehydrated food that he had carried with him, using heated water and fished sometimes. He paddled eight-to-ten hours daily and slept every night. But he was always tired because he woke up hourly to check on his gear.
This isn’t the first time that he has engaged in such an adventure. According to his website, his past travels include circumnavigating the 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometres) of the Iberian Peninsula coastline by paddle-surfing for 141 days and crossing Alaska’s Iditarod route for eight days on a bicycle with oversized tires made for snow and ice.
Interestingly, he also celebrated his 50th birthday at sea, according to his sister Vanesa de la Rosa. The siblings run an adventure tourism business in Madrid and a small hotel for athletes. He used a tracking device to record every minute of his journey and called it a record because he believes no one has ever done what he accomplished.