Oxnard, Calif. (May 10, 2022) - Chris Bertish, an extreme athlete who paddled solo across the Atlantic in 2017, announces plans to launch his next venture: the Transpacific Wing Project in late May - early June 2022. This next venture is the world’s first solo, wing foil, transpacific crossing which will launch from Channel Islands Harbor Marina in Oxnard, California. After crossing the Pacific Ocean alone on a wing foil, he expects to finish by the end of July or the beginning of August in Oahu, Hawaii.
Wing Foiling from Oxnard, CA to Oahu, HI ... Alone
In June 2021, Bertish achieved a world record for the longest distance traveled on a wing-foil, solo and unsupported at 212 miles. This was the first milestone of his Transpacific Wing Project, a 2,550-mile journey by wing foil to cross the Pacific Ocean from Channel Islands Harbor Marina in Oxnard, California to Oahu, Hawaii. His mission includes raising awareness for climate climate action, while enriching minds through ocean conservation and ocean education.
At his initial launch from Half Moon Bay, California in June 2021, Bertish made the critical decision to temporarily halt the project and head into Morro Bay for repairs. Bertish’s craft, aptly named Impifish, incurred electronic issues that needed to be addressed. Once the electronics had been reworked, Chris was outside of the weather window to be able to safely re-launch for 2021. Therefore, he and his team made a unanimous decision to await the start of the new weather window beginning in May of 2022. His announcement this week projects readiness to make the crossing at the end of May to the beginning of June.
This next attempt will require Bertish to complete the equivalent of more than two full marathons per day, winging a minimum of 8-12 hours per day, for over sixty days, unsupported and completely unassisted. This two-month-long, record-making Transpacific Wing Project follows Bertish’s 2017 solo and unsupported Transatlantic stand up paddle crossing that garnered global attention and raised funds for a plethora of global charities.
Watch Bertish Video to Learn about ImpiFish Upgrades for Voyage
The Transpacific Wing Project craft, custom built for Bertish’s 2017 solo paddle journey across the Atlantic, needed to be completely overhauled and upgraded for his new project. The ImpiFish has been restructured including adding hydrofoils to each side of the craft, to raising the deck area and side walls. There has been the installation of an updated and more energy-efficient autopilot system using one-third of the power of his previous unit, the addition of solar panels that are 30% more energy efficient than before, replaced steerage systems, a smaller, more energy-efficient and improved satellite communications systems, re-wired electronics system, re-configured charging and battery storage systems and utilizing power from solar, hydropower and wind systems.
“It was great to achieve a new wing-foiling distance world record last year; however, there’s a lot of work to do to be able to complete the 2,550 miles journey over June, July and possibly the beginning of August, so I’ll hope for a great weather window to get away from land and then take it one day at a time from there. Like always, one step, one mile, one action at a time, just like dealing with climate change. All small actions add up to make a massive change and impact. But we all need to start by doing one small thing, taking action, each and every day, in some small way,” said Bertish.
Raising Awareness for Ocean Conservancy, Chris Bertish Takes Flight
The Transpacific Wing Project will raise money and awareness for ocean conservation through partnerships with Chris Bertish Foundation, a 501c3 organization established in 2020 with the goal of building awareness, giving back and being a beacon of inspiration and positive change for youth and the world.
Chris will share a tracker on his 2,550–mile journey across the Pacific Ocean, posting weekly “Captain’s Vlogs” and sharing valuable ocean temperature, PH and plastic and noise pollution data collected along the way. His team is also developing a first-of-its-kind live ocean classroom to give back to education during the expedition— from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Chris will assemble and teach ocean-themed classroom sessions focused on ocean health and climate change challenges with solution-driven thinking about how all humans can minimize their negative impact, take action, and be part of the change we want to see in the world.
About Chris Bertish:
Chris Bertish is driven by passion and commitment and has achieved some of the greatest feats in surfing and stand up paddle boarding history. He is a waterman who turns adversity into opportunity and no challenge is too great or impossible for his mindset. As an international speaker, Chris inspires audiences with stories of courage, determination, resilience and overcoming insurmountable odds to achieve seemingly goals and dreams, while raising awareness for challenging ocean conservation and climate change issues globally.
Chris won the 2010 Mavericks Big Wave Invitational event in Half Moon Bay, California in some of the biggest waves in history, merely hours after touching down from a 36-hour flight from South Africa, on a borrowed board, against all odds. From 2013-14, Chris set three separate stand up paddle World Records, two in Europe and the Open Ocean 12-hour SUP Guinness World Distance Record. In 2015 he co-directed and released the acclaimed film Ocean Driven, and launched the best-selling book Stoked! both about his life story.
Watch the Trailer to Ocean Driven HERE
In 2017 Chris redefined adventure by stand up paddling solo and unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean, over 4,000 miles from Morocco to the Caribbean in 93 days, raising money for Operation Smile and the support of youth, education and ocean conservation initiatives.
The Transatlantic SUP Crossing won Chris the global “Expedition of the Year Award” at the 2017 US Global SUP Awards and was named one of the Top-100 Genius Icons, by Global Genius 100, Leaders of Innovation and Creativity, by the Einstein Institute in 2018.