Ben Lecomte Embarks To Swim Across Pacific Ocean

Long distance swimmer, Ben Lecomte, is attempting to swim 5,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean to raise awareness for the ocean pollution crisis. If Lecomte is successful, he would be the first to accomplish this.

He will not embark on this journey alone, his sailing crew will follow him from Tokyo to San Francisco and Lecomte plans to swim eight hours or 30 miles per day. This six month journey is in the name of science and sustainability.

Lecomte’s team will conduct medical and oceanic research, while collecting ocean debris such as microplastics with water samples. This mission also hopes to bring awareness to the negative affect the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for life in the ocean and on land.

This isn’t Lecomte’s first time swimming across an ocean, in 1998 he swam across the Atlantic Ocean for 73 days to support cancer research. Check out the video above to learn more about this swimming expedition.