PERU:Having swum the Danube, Mississippi and Yangtze rivers, Slovene Martin Strel will take his biggest plunge today - when he dives into the Amazon at the start of a planned 5,430-kilometre journey through murky waters patrolled by deadly snakes, crocodiles and piranhas.
Strel (52) hopes to swim about 90 kilometres during each 12-hour day in the water, in his bid to break his current world record for the longest distance swum, earned when he conquered China's mighty Yangtze.
The Amazon is not only at least 1,400 kilometres longer than the Yangtze, its disease- and predator-infested waters also make it "the most dangerous river in the world", according to Strel. "Yangtze is a very dangerous river for swimmers, but the Amazon is also home to some of the most poisonous and dangerous and ferocious animals, fish and insects," he said.
"I'm going to swim that river or die trying. But dying is not my intention." Strel jumps into the Amazon at Atalaya in Peru today, and hopes to emerge triumphant on the Atlantic coast in 70 days' time, at Belem in Brazil. Towards the end of his odyssey, Strel will face danger from bull sharks that venture far upriver from the Atlantic, and from a 13-foot tidal wave called the Pororoca.
The Slovene, who has dedicated his swim to "peace and friendship. . . and preservation of the rain forest and clean waters", will be accompanied by a team of about 20 people. "My escort boats will carry all the time buckets of fresh blood to pour in the water in case the piranhas or other fish attack me," he said.
