5 QUESTIONS WITH...
WHY NOT? PHOTO: CRAIG KOLESKY
TRANS-ATLANTIC STANDUP PADDLEBOARDER CHRIS BERTISH
Chris Bertish isn’t your average, surf-obsessed dude. Driven by the word impossible, Bertish is constantly struggling to show that nothing is—“Impossible is a challenge,” he says. The South African’s list of accomplishments is long; highlights include winning the Mavericks Invitational Big Wave surfing event in 2010 in the biggest and heaviest waves ever recorded after a 40-hour plane trip and on borrowed equipment—his was lost in transit. More recently, he was the first to SUP solo and unassisted across the English Channel, paddle 320 kilometers unsupported up the West Coast of South Africa, and set a downwind distance world record—130 kilometers in just 12 hours. Between record-setting ventures, Bertish is a motivational speaker. Despite the superhuman feats behind him, it’s the one that lies ahead that may be the most challenging yet: solo paddling a SUP 8,000 kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean. —Colin Field
WHY
SUP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC?
Why not? You’ll never
know if something is pos- sible until you try and I
enjoy challenging myself. I hope this expedition
inspires others to believe in what’s possible if they
set their mind to it. The trip will also raise money and awareness for the Lunch- box Fund to feed at-risk
school kids in South Africa, and the Miles for Smiles campaign, which raises funds to perform corrective surgery for children with cleft palates.
WHAT
MOTIVATES YOU TO KEEP CHALLENGING YOURSELF?
I love it when people
say something’s impos- sible; it just makes me want to prove them
wrong. If you believe you can, you are right, and if
you believe you can’t, you are right. The charities I donate to also motivate me. It doesn’t matter how much money you raise— whether a single rand or a million, you’re helping others, giving back and
leaving the world a better place.
WHEN
HAVE YOU BEEN SCARED?
My scariest situation came when I was nearly blown out to sea two
years ago while paddling solo and unassisted. The wind came up early, 35 knots in the wrong direc- tion. I paddled for five
hours on one side, across the wind with everything I had and made it by the skin of my teeth. I passed out on land with burnt corneas, dehydration,
sunstroke and blisters all over my hands.
PADDLING BUYER’S GUIDE |
www.rapidmedia.com 37 WHO
INSPIRATION TO YOU?
My late dad, who was an amazing waterman, as well as modern-day adventurers, such as long distance cyclist and kayaker Riaan Manser, polar explorer Mike Horn and extreme swimmer
Lewis Pugh—people living outside of the box, chasing their passions and living their dreams.
HAS BEEN AN WHERE
ARE YOU HEADED NEXT?
Always working towards the next goal keeps me
inspired, so I have projects planned through to Janu- ary 2020, but I’m keeping them all under wraps. Just a hint: After the Atlantic SUP Crossing I’ll be em- barking on another world first, but it’ll be a wind- powered adventure.
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