Chris Bertish is a real-life adventurer. The South African born surfer and stand-up paddleboarder loves pushing himself physically, regularly taking on record breaking challenges. He is also a great motivational speaker, drawing from his personal experiences to inspire others to challenges themselves.
In 2009 he was the Mavericks Big Wave Surf champ. His other big passion, stand-up paddle boarding (SUPing), has put him in the limelight many times. The most recent daring feat he took on, was to be the first person to cross the Atlantic on an unsupported SUP, paddling from Morocco (Africa) to Antigua (Caribbean). In March 2017, after roughly two million strokes and 93 days, Chris successfully completed the solo journey.
Paddling for A Cause
There was method to his madness, Chris linked his record breaking experience to three charities: Operation Smile, The Lunchbox Fund, and Signature of Hope. He managed to raise R6 million, changing countless lives forever. These three charities help kids born with a cleft lip or palate smile with confidence again, provide kids with a healthy meal at school each day, and help to build schools in rural communities. Carrick Wealth was one of his main corporate supporters.
southafrica.operationsmile.org
thelunchboxfund.org
signatureofhope.org
You can still donate to these worthy causes via thesupcrossing.com
VIDEO
Chris planned his daring feat for five years, tweaking the paddleboard and equipment needed to accomplish the dangerous trip. He created a 6-meter-long customized board, weighing 350 kilograms. That might sound quite heavy to you, but he says that you still feel like a little cork being tossed around in the ocean. The board is much lighter than an average small boat. Only 10 centimetres separated him from the unpredictable ocean. He also carried 350 kilograms of food, meaning he was pushing roughly 700 kilograms across the Atlantic, with only his paddle to make progress.
The customized craft included a small cabin that Chris used to overnight in and hide from rough weather. It also protected the equipment needed to steer and sustain him across the open waters – a radar, MacBook, water purifier, radio, satellite phone, bilge pump, navigation lighting and solar power, as well as battery banks to keep all the equipment charged. He had to plan every little detail of his trip, for instance purifying water instead of transporting 10 litres of water times 90 days.
Even with all the careful planning, he still faced many unexpected challenges. At one stage, most of his equipment failed him, except the radar. Luckily it kept working, he needed the radar to inform passing ships of his presence.
Beside the tricky weather conditions, Chris had to deal with curious sea creatures, including sharks. The carefully constructed board also failed him at times, the main steering broke down after only a few days at sea. He had to think quickly to figure out an alternative. It also regularly filled with water. He needed to pump out water almost every two weeks, carefully keeping an eye on his food stock and equipment in the process, as to not let anything valuable float away. Most of the time his feet and ankles were covered in water. Read More
