In a recent conversation with Chris Bertish, we caught this extraordinary madman planning his next big project: a 2,750 mile ocean crossing from Half Moon Bay in California to Oahu in the Hawaiian islands, doing it on a wing foil, solo and unsupported.
Chris Bertish TransPacific Wing Foil Project: Beyond the Waves
Chris Bertish is at it again. The man who defied the laws of physics to single-handedly win the Mavericks Big Wave Invitational in 2010, on a borrowed board, after suffering a horrendous wipeout that nearly cost him his life, who redefined the word “impossible” when he (solo and unsupported) stand up paddled 4,050 nautical miles with a torn rotator cuff across the Atlantic ocean, now has his sights set on a new horizon.
The new project, called the TransPac Wing Project, is another big ocean crossing, again solo and unsupported. Bertish will wing foil across the Pacific ocean to encourage people to inspire positive change in their lives, and increase global awareness about ocean health. His mission? To protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, paying for educational ocean outreach programs and operations for children in need. We'll get to that in a minute.
Pushing Boundaries on Every Level
What's fascinating about Chris Bertish is who he is as well as what he does. It is not only what he plans to do but HOW/WHY he is going to do it. Yes, Chris will launch from Half Moon Bay, a well known stretch of water for him and the site of his incredible 2010 Mavericks Big Wave Invitational championship, and he will wing foil across the Pacific ocean, a distance of over 2,500 miles. He plans to do it in about 55-60 days. Yes, he has made that journey before in a sailboat across this exact body of water. He knows the route. He certainly knows his craft (the ImpiFish took him the full length of the Atlantic in 2017), even though it’s been dramatically changed and altered, with foils and many extras for this journey. And critically, his waterman skills are uniquely qualified to see him complete this crossing as well.
But what makes him stand out is the amount of personal passion, monumental preparedness and his enormous lionheart and desire to give back with this seemingly impossible journey. His actions, belief system and mindset are that of a true champion in every sense of the word.
Passion: Bertish to Inspire Others to Believe in Themselves
Having known Chris Bertish since his historic arrival on land in Antigua in March of 2017 after he paddled alone across the Atlantic ocean, and having watched him achieve goal after goal in the interim, we know we are dealing with no ordinary human. Chris Bertish has a plan. His extraordinary motivation, great passion and formidable skill sets will see him through it.
"Overcoming obstacles and being adaptable to your environment creates a mindset for success," Bertish told Standup Journal in a recent conversation. The point, he says, is to see the opportunity in the obstacle and keep pushing forward no matter what. "If your goal is just to set a world speed record across the Pacific, then in my mind, you have no business being out there. My objectives are all about touching and positively impacting as many lives as I can on this crossing, like I do with everything I do."
Bertish Skill Set Stands Apart from other TransPacific Travelers
Bertish is an acclaimed lifelong waterman. He says it's been that way since he was a "skinny little kid from Kenilworth in Cape Town, South Africa, who managed to travel halfway around the world without sponsorship, and then outwit, outsmart, and outperform the world's best paid professional athletes on a day that changed my life and the sport of big wave surfing forever". (Excerpted from Stoked! by Chris Bertish).
Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa on one of the most treacherous bodies of water on the planet, Chris Bertish is uniquely qualified to manage the conditions of the open ocean.
Transatlantic sailor: As an ex semi-professional sailor, Chris has crossed the Atlantic multiple times and almost all oceans, racing yachts for the last twenty years, all over the world.
Big wave surfer: His passion for surf is world renowned as a previous Big Wave XXL Award winner and his championship at the 2010 Mavericks Big Wave invitational speaks for itself.
Extreme waterman: From a very young age, Chris and his brothers were educated into a life on the water by their father. He's crewed, captained, and collaborated on too many boat voyages to list here. He holds close friendships with legends like Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark and 43-Time World Windsurf Champion Bjorn Dunkerbeck. His circle is strong and vastly knowledgeable.
Beyond that, Bertish is relentless. For the TransPac Wing Project, Bertish has reoutfitted and completely upgraded the ImpiFish, the watercraft that saw him across the Atlantic in 2017, in every way. Upgrades include the addition of two custom hydrofoils developed by Armstrong in New Zealand. The purpose of these two wing-like foils mounted to the bottom of the craft coming off the sides is not to lift the board fully above the water. Instead, like sailing hydrofoils, the foils are designed to create lift which reduces drag and in turn increases speed, while adding stability, allowing it to skim across the surface of the ocean when conditions are optimal. Bertish states that he will not be on full foil or elevated above the sea level on this 19-foot craft. That is too dangerous with a board this size in open water conditions. Instead, the new foils reduce the wetted surface on the ImpiFish and minimize the drag to keep it moving forward efficiently under wind power. Makes sense for a guy who’s a qualified professional yacht racing crewman and captain, yes?
Bertish has upgraded every major system on the flying ImpiFish, also upgrading the Satellite Communications systems onboard to the most advanced system of its kind specifically for this mission. A large part of his passion for this project is to connect virtually with multiple classrooms and as many school-age children as he can while he is out on the Pacific. To have possible-live feed or recorded and reposted sessions, done live from the middle of the Pacific ocean, requires building and installing new groundbreaking technology, costing the mission an additional $35,000, besides the $15K specialized Sat Communications unit. Also for the TransPac Wing Project, viewers will be able to chart his progress across the ocean via a live tracker.
But for Bertish it's all about maximum impact. His work is to focus on education, ocean conservation and sustainability through his adventure projects. His goal is to inspire courage, confidence and self-reliance in youth in order to foster a more empathic generation who will make better decisions about the environment, give back, care for others, the planet, our ocean and the world around them. So if innovating, designing, and deploying new SAT systems is going to help him maximize his reach, then Bertish is focused on making that happen
Bertish Giving Back to Ocean Advocacy Programs and More
Bertish will utilize this expedition as a platform to raise awareness and funding for multiple causes to which he is dedicated, including Conservation International, Sea Shepard projects and the Chris Bertish Foundation. These beneficiaries receive the donations from all of his adventure projects and when viewers visit his newly hatched Chris Bertish Foundation non-profit’s website (www.chrisbertishfoundation.org), visitors can stay in touch with the number of children he’s helped, trees planted, monies raised and people inspired. On this transpacific crossing, Chris will be collecting water samples and data collected regarding the ocean's water temperatures and PH levels throughout his travels and he will hold special educational sessions via satellite with school-age children to reach them from the middle of the Pacific ocean.
"My objectives are all about impact and seeing how many lives I can reach and positively touch. As long as I get there, I'm successful," Bertish explained to Standup Journal. His mission: To do something that's never been done before and to create a platform to produce massive impact and harness the power of nature, new technology and innovation to inspire positive change.
Ocean Conservation at the Center of TransPac Wing Project
Bertish's lifelong passion for the ocean puts conservation efforts squarely in his wheelhouse. Focused on ocean conservation, he is working in collaboration with Richard Branson's ocean advocacy non-profit, Ocean Unite . Bertish and Ocean Unite are both striving towards protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.
Bertish also seeks to inspire as a full-time professional speaker; that’s what he does to pay the bills. His plans include exclusive team building events for several high profile companies that include sessions on land before departure, a FaceTime connection via satellite communications while he is crossing the Pacific ocean, and additional in-person work sessions upon his landing in Oahu.
In addition to his educational and conservation efforts, Bertish’s lion heart is also committed to creating concrete positive impact on less-than-fortunate children; therefore, monies raised on his wing foiling passage will help pay for South African children in need of cleft palate surgeries through Operation Smile and pay for Ocean Education outreach programs through the 2 Oceans Educational Foundation. This beneficiary also received funding from Bertish’s 2017 transatlantic SUP crossing and, to date, he has assisted in giving children over one hundred cleft palate surgeries. It is a powerful motivation (part of the WHY that drives Bertish) to know that each mile he wing foils will raise funding for these youth, to help them receive necessary surgeries that will impact their lives in new and positive ways.
"I’m always doing something that’s never been done before and using it as a platform to be a positive role model of what we can all do if we set our minds to achieving something, while using the journey to highlight major climate and ocean challenges. We all need to take action now. We need to inspire positive change,” he says. No small goal. And yet we see, as always, that Bertish is determined to push the boundaries on every level in order to sustain maximum impact on the numerous lives and organizations he supports. His goal is to reach as many people as possible to inspire positive change in their lives and the world at large. That's one heck of an inspiration for this crossing.
“Last Known Coordinates” Film Release Upon Arrival In Oahu
Bertish will launch on his quest from Half Moon Bay in California this June. Timing and conditions will dictate exactly when he leaves shore. Upon his arrival in Oahu, the celebration will include the world-wide release of his much anticipated new film, “Last Known Coordinates”, the documentary of his transatlantic stand up paddle crossing in 2017. The world can look forward to this film’s release sometime within the first two weeks of August, 2021. Stay tuned to www.standupjournal.com for future updates about the film, Chris’s transPacific crossing and how you can be a part of the mission he inspires.
To learn more about Chris Bertish, his projects and professional speaking engagements, go to his website at: https://chrisbertish.com. To support his mission, follow his causes and become a part of the massive change towards ocean health and sustainability, visit CBI Foundation at: https://chrisbertishfoundation.org.
At Standup Journal, we salute those who champion the causes for the oceans and waterways across the globe. Thank you, Chris Bertish, for all you do to drive the forces, harness the energies, celebrate nature and inspire change. We believe in YOU.
