LIMA (Reuters) - Few would even dare swim the Amazon river bank to bank but Slovenian Martin Strel plans to swim 3,375 miles down the world's greatest river, defying piranhas, snakes, crocodiles and even sharks.

Buckets of animal blood will be loaded onto support boats to distract flesh-eating fish and reptiles during the 52-year-old's 70-day odyssey -- which would break his own world length record for a swim.

Strel starts on February 1 in Peru's jungle town of Atalaya and hopes to finish on Brazil's Atlantic coast on April 11.

Towards the end of his journey "for world peace and environment," Strel will face another challenge -- a tidal bore, or wave, about 13 feet high, known as the Pororoca.

"It is very dangerous. It is great for surfing but it's bad for swimmers," Strel told Reuters in a telephone interview from Slovenia, where the holder of various Guinness Book records for swimming the Danube in Europe, the Mississippi in the United States and the Yangtze in China, is preparing for his swim.

This journey down the world's most voluminous river will be nearly 1,500 km (930 miles) longer than the Yangtze swim -- his current world record set in 2004.

"Yangtze is a very dangerous river for swimmers, but the Amazon is also home to some of the most poisonous and dangerous and ferocious animals, fish and insects... I'm going to swim that river or die trying. But dying is not my intention."

He says on his Web site that he has "a dream" -- proving to the world that nothing is impossible and that the world can one day live in peace.

"I've always been swimming for peace and friendship. I decided to dedicate the Amazon swim also to the preservation of the rain forest and clean waters," he said.

Strel will keep the surrounding water as clean as possible during his journey. Urinating in the water can attract the feared candiru, or toothpick fish, that likes to swim into body orifices, erect a spine and start feeding on blood and tissue.

A wetsuit and a special cream should protect him from these, as well as electric eels and snakes. There are still fresh-water stingrays, vicious piranhas and aggressive bull sharks, which travel far up the river from the Atlantic.

"My escort boats will carry all the time buckets of fresh blood to pour in the water in case the piranhas or other fish attack me," Strel said with a thick Slovenian accent.

Fish Food

I'd put my money on him dying.

I hope they film this, it will be bigger than the Steve Irwin death video.

In the article I think it mentioned that it will air over the internet and also be filmed for a documentary.



blood money



edit to add this

Quote:

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The feat will be broadcast live over the Internet (www.amazonswim.com) and California-based firm Self Pictures will shoot a documentary called "Big River Man."

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i was watching an extraction of one of those fish on Discovery Health the other night.... OWWWWWW!!!

LIMA (Reuters) - Blistering sun and river debris, not the Amazon's crocodiles or piranhas, have been the main adversaries of Slovenian Martin Strel so far in his 3,375-mile (5,430-km) swim down the world's greatest river.

Strel, 52, began the swim on February 1 in the Peruvian jungle town of Atalaya, planning to emerge from the river within 70 days on Brazil's Atlantic coast and break his own record for the world's longest swim.

He was prepared for just about any threat the Amazon could throw at him, including its piranhas, snakes, electric eels, crocodiles and even the feared toothpick fish that swims into body orifices, erects a spine and feeds on blood and tissue.

The sun was not his biggest concern, but now it is.

"I pray for three days of rain and I will be a new man again," a sunburnt Strel told Reuters on Friday by e-mail.

Expedition manager Borut Strel said his father was having to alter his swimming timetable to avoid the sun as much as possible.

Strel's team, which includes doctors and river guides, cut up a T-shirt to cover his face as he swims.

"So far the biggest problem has been the sun. We have not even had two days of rain, all day its just sun. Martin's face is burnt, his lips are burnt. He has blisters, big blisters," Borut Strel said by satellite phone.

Martin Strel holds Guinness Book records for swimming the Danube in Europe, the Mississippi in the United States and the Yangtze in China.

The $1 million swim down the Amazon, the world's most voluminous river, is paid for by sponsors in the name of world peace and environment and will be nearly 930 miles (1,500 km)longer than the record-holding Yangtze swim in 2004.

Another major obstacle has been river debris.

"There's a lot of trees, logs, debris on the river. The river is very muddy. We have to be very careful to guide Martin because he can't see anything in front of him," his son said.

Strel rises at 5 a.m. every day and starts swimming within an hour. He swims until noon, has lunch, a 20-minute nap, and then its back into the water until dusk.

He is moving faster than expected, covering about 62 miles (100 km) a day, at an average speed of 6 miles (10 km) per hour aided by the rushing current. His team thinks he could finish the trek to the Atlantic several days ahead of schedule.

Ahead of Strel, who has dropped 11 lb (5 kg) in a week, still lies Iquitos, notorious for waters infested by ferocious, flesh-eating piranha.

His team has prepared buckets of animal blood, loaded onto support boats to distract the fish and reptiles.

Near the end of his journey he will face a tidal bore, or wave, about 13 feet (4 meters) high, known as the Pororoca.

Fish food

Damn, he made it.

Blister In The Sun