Action Asia - February-March 2018

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Angeles base camp preparing the support boat and

raising funds. The departure date is unannounced

but the aim is for later this year.

This is the third time in five years that

Lecomte has announced plans to cross the sea,

but his first boat captain had a heart attack and

the second vessel proved to be a unique build,

without blueprints available should anything go

wrong at sea.

The Longest Swim is taking donations at

http://www.gofundme.com/thelongestswim; latest

updates are also available on thelongestswim.com

as well as affiliated social media channels.

his GPS location when he breaks and sleeps to

ensure he swims every mile, as well as collecting

samples for eight research projects directed by

scientific institutions including NASA.

“Our larger aim is to conduct research and

raise awareness of the state of our ocean,” wrote

Lecomte on his GoFundMe page. “I have always

swum for a reason, it’s my way of expression. [The

1998 swim was] a tribute to my father and to

support cancer research. This time I will jump in

the water in the name of science and protecting

our oceans.”

As of press date, the team is still at its Los

ZUBLU HAS DEBUTTED

a new dive travel-booking

platform featuring destinations

and eco-friendly resorts in Asia. Divers can choose

their underwater vacations based on location,

travel period, experiences or on the sights they

want to see.

Currently, the latter category lists sharks,

rays, turtles, schooling fish, macro creatures, reefs

and walls, wrecks and caves, and mammals and

pelagics. Destinations on its list include Indonesia,

Malaysia, the Maldives and the Philippines.

Dive booking site surfaces

WEBSITES

THE FIRST PERSON TO

swim the Atlantic unaided

by a kickboard, 49-year-old

Frenchman Benoît Lecomte, is next attempting to

swim the Pacific, from Tokyo to San Francisco – a

total of 8,851km. The journey, billed The Longest

Swim, will see the Texas-based architect swim for

an average of eight hours a day, resting and eating

on the sailing yacht Discoverer. He is expected to

arrive five to six months later. His 1998 Atlantic

crossing was completed in 73 days.

Donning swim gear, a shark repellent bracelet,

a radioactive caesium collector (so oceanogra-

phers can track chemical pollution) and an EKG

monitor, Lecomte will also be supported by an

eight-person crew of volunteers. They will mark

RECORDS

Ocean swimmer takes on Pacific

SCUBAPRO LAUNCHES

SOLAR DIVE COMPUTER

Dubbed the Z1, this dive

computer is the brand’s

first solar-powered smart

divers’ watch that comes with standard

computer functions, alarms, deco stops

as well as altitude, scuba and free-diving

modes and up to four gas mixes from

21-100% for easy switching between dives.

The backlight can be set up to 10 seconds

and alarms are both audible and visual.

Bluetooth compatible, the watch can be

synced with the Z Dive Log to upload and

share dive profiles. The app is available on

both Apple and Android stores but only in

English and Japanese currently.

The hybrid construction combines

a 316L stainless steel bezel with a

polyacrylate case, which

promises better heat

resistance than

polycarbonate.

Aesthetically,

the watch is

available in

variations

of black on

black or

silver; white

with blue or

pink; and silver

on metal.

DIVE TECH

— March/April 2018