Crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Alone. By Stand-Up-Paddleboard
46 comments
·September 8, 2025roxolotl
willvarfar
The whole project is a series of neat stunts that bring publicity to the cause. They also make documentaries.
colechristensen
Climate change doesn't need any more publicity, everybody is aware whether or not they align, everybody is aware.
wtbdbrrr
a team building exercise, basically. how nice
barney54
I don't quite understand this. I guess the point is to do a stunt, but it also shows how useful carbon dioxide emissions are. You can cross the Atlantic in 100 days with zero emissions or a few hours with carbon dioxide emissions...
MalbertKerman
> 100 days with zero emissions
By my back of the envelope math, burning 600000 kcal should produce couple hundred kg of CO2. You could also make that crossing in less than a third of the time under sail, with about a third of the daily calorie consumption, for maybe a tenth of the CO2 output.
throw83939449
Zero? Human exhales like 2kg of CO2 every day. That is just 200kg of CO2 emmisions from existing!
> Preparations for this special challenge have been ongoing for many months. However, for a project like this to come together, a lot of things have to fit together perfectly.
Take all the people, time and energy spend on preparations! It is probably several tons of CO2! Very long list of sponsors!
I refuse to believe, that super economy flight for $130 has higher CO2 emmisions than this stunt! It is like taking public transport!
echoangle
The 200kg of emissions aren't from the crossing though, they are there anyways. You would have to calculate the additional emissions from the physical exercise in the crossing.
throw83939449
Why not? We already calculate cow farts! And kill animals because they breathe to much!
Human is the engine here!
Take old galleys where hundred people rowed single boat. All that food to feed them! That is not very effient transport!
juancn
Don't forget the farts! They produces a lot of methane which a much more potent greenhouse gas!
throw83939449
It is like when Greta crossed atlantic on sail boat, but her crew took first class flights back!
zimpenfish
> You can cross the Atlantic in 100 days with zero emissions
Which is fine for a lot of the cross-Atlantic shipping traffic that is currently contributing to the CO2 emissions.
etamponi
For example? I don't want to be ironic, I am genuinely curious.
Reubachi
Looking at the plotted journey....IE Portugal, ivory coast, west to FG.... Isn't this a route normally/regularly done by sail?
Before modern era, surely was done this way in antiquity..
I guess I just don't get it. Does the "paddleboard" represent something more than sail?
xavirg
I don't see the point beyond feeding one's ego. I think he does it because such experiences brings in money in his talks.
bluGill
Likely talks that they fly him to thus making him a lager than average cause of global warming...
vintermann
There are easier ways to make money, though, so it's fair to think there are more important motivations.
bluGill
This is an investment though - he has however long it takes to cross the ocean that is hard. There after he can make money giving talks which is a lot easier (if you hate giving talks of course this isn't easy money, but if that doesn't bother you)
paddleon
Assume you viewpoint is correct. How is this different from so many tech bros?
The person is doing something physically and technically challenging. Perfect HN material.
Would love to dive into how he built the paddleboard, etc.
axpy906
Naive question - how will he handle storms? This is hurricane season.
willvarfar
The blurb says it is an 'offshore' paddle board and that they do expect to encounter storms.
null
sjsdaiuasgdia
From the pics, it's a little difficult to classify it as a paddle board. Certainly doesn't look much like what I see if I search for "paddle board" or "offshore paddle board".
It's fairly large. There appears to be a hatch leading to an interior space. Presumably that's where he sleeps and stores supplies.
It's really more of a small paddle-powered boat. Given the shape and the ability to seal off the interior, it probably can survive a fair bit of rolling around in a storm.
bobowzki
Seems like a really inefficient way to paddle?
willvarfar
People have already rowed solo across the Atlantic and Pacific.
Rowing won't get the attention the paddleboard will?
jacknews
It's rather stretching the definition of a SUP if you ask me, but fair winds and following seas to him anyway.
canterburry
Like...why? Why do we need to try this?
bluGill
We don't. I'm not going to try this. You appear to not want to either, and that is fine. He is trying this, and I see no reason anyone should prevent him from trying. (I'm open to changing my mind if someone comes up with good justification, but in generally I like the freedom message and so place a high bar on what a good justification would be)
bombcar
The real question everyone is wanting to know but not asking - can we laugh if he dies?
farias0
Why are humans pushing themselves to do challenging stuff? I don't know man, but it's just what we do, and I think that's cool.
NoiseBert69
Well.. better doing that then trying to understand cryptic C++ compiler warnings.
bluGill
I don't know about you, but I get paid a lot of money to understand cryptic C++ compiler warnings, and I'm not risking my life at sea. In a strange sort of way I enjoy the challenge (which is part of why people cross the sea, so I can't even claim I'm very different)
bombcar
You’re risking your life at sea++
paulpauper
wouldn't the current negate the paddling as you go farther out?
foxyv
Depends on the crossing. Usually they will choose a route that is favorable. This is probably the same as the ocean crossings by row boat.
https://youtu.be/6SYHamnHqU8?si=vp-NLeMnsdQz1R-Z
Generally speaking there is a route called the "Milk Run" from Europe to the Caribbean that has tail winds and good currents in the right direction. Also much nicer weather.
eesmith
Portugal to French Guiana means following the North Atlantic Gyre - The Canary Current then the North Equatorial Current.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Gyre
Looking at the current maps, I think most of the paddling will be southward, to get down to South America rather than the Caribbean.
For example, Thor Heyerdahl's Ra II, a square-sailed reed boat, went from Morocco to Barbados - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl#Boats_Ra_and_Ra... .
The people I've heard of who have rowed across the Atlantic generally do Canary Islands to the Caribbean. There's even "The World's Toughest Row" for that route - https://www.worldstoughestrow.com/ .
drob518
This seems… ill-advised.
huitzitziltzin
Why stand up and not use your legs at all?? People have rowed it.
This is a weird stunt that won’t prove anything. If he (magically) made it in a week people would still fly.
What’s the point? Don’t say “raising awareness”. Whose mind does the exercise have a chance of changing about what question? What behavioral change will that changed mind cause?
BurpyDave
I'm intrigued how he will store 600,000 kcals of food for the 2500 hours+ on that board. And Water... Any help from a helicopter will be a bit disingenuous.
willvarfar
Fresh water will presumably be reverse-osmosis energy-recovery desalination. These are normal on sailboats nowadays and often driven off a small PV array like shown on the pictures of the paddleboard.
Regards food, the paddleboard looks about the same size as people who have previously rowed across the Atlantic solo.
cjaackie
This was my question too, my bet is support from a vessel and so this whole thing is kind of silly.
More power to him and I hope he makes it but ambitious action against climate change this is not. Under no circumstances will modified paddleboards become standard modes of transportation nor will anyone with the ability to make change look at this as something other than a rich dude risking their life.