The earth’s oceans are colossal and cover over 70 percent of the surface of the earth. With that being said, us humans spend most of our time on land, and the majority of the ocean remains unexplored.
The ocean offers endless opportunities- from sailing to canoeing, to windsurfing, and it allows us to get from one country to the next without having to take to the skies. The huge stretches of unoccupied sea give people the freedom to set personal challenges, and one brave woman decided to do the unthinkable.
If, like us, you’ve ever contemplated how long the journey from the couch to the fridge is, then this story is going to make you feel tired just by reading it.
Lisa Ditton spent 86 days at sea rowing all alone, with a goal to get from San Fransisco to Hawaii. Her excursion took 4 years of training, and on the day she left, all she had with her was her rowing boat, which was filled with her most important possessions.
The journey wasn’t easy, and Lisa recalled how the boat had capsized twice, leaving herself and all of her possessions soaked.
“I was afraid at the ocean, at that point. I thought, ‘I’ll never go in the ocean again after this.'” Lisa explained on a YouTube video posted by Inside Edition, adding, “At times I did think I wasn’t going to survive.”
But bravely, Lisa continued on with her voyage, fighting through its challenges. One of Lisa’s most surreal feelings was when she realized just how far she was from land- and help. If she needed it, it would be over a day before rescuers would be able to arrive.
“It’s not that easy getting off a boat 1000 miles from land- you can’t just get an Uber,” Lisa explained. “I was quite alarmed to learn that I was 18-36 hours from rescue.”
During her epic journey, Lisa also navigated rough waves and sharks, and she spoke of how she fearlessly persuaded a shark to leave her alone.
“I needed the shark to go away, and I needed to communicate that to the shark. So I stared at him, and he stared back- and he immediately got the idea and he left.” Lisa explained.
Lisa had 75 days worth of food with her, including meal replacement shakes, turkey sticks, nuts and dried food. She rowed around 30 miles a day, in 4 to 6 hour periods. After each period of rowing, she would take a nap to revitalize herself, before waking up and continuing on with her journey.
Although Lisa was alone throughout her entire journey, she reflected that she never felt lonely during her challenge. The keen rower had been documenting her plans to complete her journey on her blog, and the continued support from her followers allowed her to feel “connected to the huge number of people who were following me along.”
After many days out at sea, Lisa finally made it safe and sound to Hawaii- and received some amazing news that she had beaten the record of the last person to try the journey. It was a cause for celebration, and Lisa popped a bottle of champagne and lit a sparkler as she docked in Hawaii.
After all that, we think that Lisa deserves a rest! But the determined woman is now aiming to row from Japan to San Francisco next year, which is twice the distance and twice the amount of time out at sea. Do we think she can do it? Absolutely! Watch her inspiring video below.
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