Ben Hooper - Swim across Atlantic Ocean

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Comments

  • andissandiss Senior Member

    Niek said:

    andiss said:
    Thanks Niek! and We have success! I failed but its a second verified attempt!

    Impossible!

    Your navigator found a favourable warm current that got you in 9 hours across without food.

    Proof will be kept locked up for the time being.

    First you need to write a book and make a film.

    B-)

    Thats actually NOT what happened, on the way into the water, I stepped on a weaver fish, and I nearly died. Im actually still bed ridden as the angry office based keyboard warrior I am! ;)

  • KatieBunKatieBun CornwallSenior Member
    edited November 2017

    Aaaaaaaargh! Please, no more! I really think he should let this go. X_X

    andissphodgeszoho
  • andissandiss Senior Member

    Fascinating, he bulked up to swim the Atlantic but didn't bother with cold water.

    No need to bulk up in the first place! :))

  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member

    I spent I think about an hour on the phone & a few emails with the reporter last spring when this was originally going to be an Esquire article, giving some background and trying to contextualise this from a marathon swimmer's viewpoint.

    I think I pointed out a couple of noteworthy things including the lack of any evidence of Mr Hooper swimming with or contact with anyone from the marathon community (and the knowledge he would have gained from such contacts).

    My closing email was along the lines of "I don't believe Mr Hooper cheated, but I don't believe it was a legitimate or credible attempt or anything of note".

    I might have compared it to the adventurism of the nineteenth century where some well funded idiot would venture to the Amazon seeking to found their own country with zero knowledge or relevant skills, I can certainly remember that comparison being on my mind.

    The article is well balanced. I think the reporter deserves credit for mentioning the concerns of actual marathon swimmers over the problem of fraud in the sport, without in any way dismissing our concerns, which is what usually happens.

    The claim of training "12 million metres in three years", with no evidence, is of course nonsense. I could produce a training diary going back 10 years with no notice, with all the detail required, as could many of you. It falls into the ludicrous claims territory, as I find this a laughable claim from someone coming from no swimming background. I think he found the one million metres per year figure here or on one of our blogs, and figured he'd multiply, to make it seem reasonable for the adventure, with little understanding of what that might mean.

    FWIW, I think I mentioned above that during the "swim" I spoke to the director of the supposed TV documentary.

    I tried again to contact them early in the year after the thing was abandoned, as they were supposed to be collecting all the untouched data from fixed cameras on the boat. But I was unable to make contact again. There was never any further mention on their website.

    evmoStephen

    loneswimmer.com

  • In relation to the training mentioned above by loneswimmer I found this "unposted" comment of mine that it looks like I forgot to post.

    gregorywannabe said:
    "In spending three years preparing for this expedition I have already swam over 12 million metres in the swimming pool and open water"

    Over 12 million metres in 3 years has now become 12 million in 3.5 years, but the training 6 days per week still gets it back to 11k per session, 6 days/sessions per week EVERY week for 3.5 years!

    gw

    P.S. the autocorrect wants to change from metres to meters! ;) :)

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