Bertish Completes 2,465 Mile Transpacific Crossing, Solo & Unsupported

Honolulu, Hawaii (July 19, 2022) - Chris Bertish, internationally acclaimed speaker, author, big wave surfer, Guinness SUP World Record holder and conservationist, arrived safely at the Aloha Dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 17, completing his historic 2,465-mile expedition to wing-foil across the Pacific Ocean for the Transpacific Wing Project. This endeavor is the world’s first solo, wing foil, transpacific crossing, and surpasses Bertish’s previous world record for the longest distance traveled on a wing-foil, solo and unsupported at 212 miles achieved in June 2021.

Starting with his late May 2022 launch from Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz, CA, Bertish achieved faster time than planned, arriving in Honolulu after 48 days, 15 hours and 15 minutes at sea. This journey required Bertish to complete the equivalent of more than two full marathons per day, winging a minimum of 8-12 hours per day, unsupported and completely unassisted. Bertish also battled big waves, strong wind currents, stormy seas, thick fog, and cold, wet weather. To aid in climate change efforts, Bertish’s craft, named Impifish was carbon net-zero, powered solely by wind, solar energy and hydropower.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to set a goal that appears insurmountable, do all that you can to achieve it, and reach the finish line far sooner than expected,” said Bertish. “The first part of the trip was super intense due to extreme weather and coming into the Hawaiian Island with Tropical Storm Darby on my heels, making for some of the most extreme and scary ocean conditions I have ever experienced.”

To immerse supporters in his experience, Bertish shared a tracker during his 2,550–mile journey across the Pacific Ocean, posted weekly “Captain’s Vlogs”, and shared valuable ocean temperature, and plastic and noise pollution data that he collected along the way. Transpacific Wing Project’s mission is to raise awareness of climate change and climate action while enriching minds through ocean conservation and ocean education. This project follows Bertish’s world first 2017 solo, unsupported, transatlantic stand up paddle crossing that garnered global attention and raised funds for various global charities.

Along the journey, Bertish hosted a pre-recorded “Ocean in Motion” virtual classroom to give back to education. Class episodes were released on YouTube during the expedition. Chris hosted classroom session discussions with experts across ocean health and climate change challenges, focusing on solution-driven thinking and how all humans can minimize their negative impact, take action, and mitigate the effects of climate change. 

The Transpacific Wing Project is raising money and awareness for ocean conservation through partnerships with Conservation International and Sea Shepherd, all facilitated through the 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.

To learn more about this historical endeavor, check out https://chrisbertishfoundation.org/wing-project/

For more information on Chris Bertish, check out his website: 

http://chrisbertish.com 
https://chrisbertishfoundation.org
https://chrisbertishfoundation.org/chris-bertish-foundation-donation/

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 for him. As an international speaker, Chris inspires audiences with stories of courage, determination, resilience and overcoming insurmountable odds to achieve seemingly impossible goals and dreams, while raising awareness for challenging ocean conservation and climate change issues globally. Never daunted by a challenge or adventure, Chris has earned global awards and set multiple world records in paddle boarding and surfing. His second film, “Last Known Coordinates” about his epic Transatlantic stand up paddle journey launched globally in mid-2021 and can be viewed on streaming platforms including iTunes, Apple TV, or on Vimeo.