Amazon Swim (Martin Strel)
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DURING FEB 1 - APR 08, 2007 MARTIN STREL SWAM 5,268 KMS (3274 MILES) OF THE AMAZON RIVER! HE DEDICATED THE SWIM TO THE PROTECTION OF THE RAINFOREST.
Sun, March 18 2007

Whirlpools and a Call for Help

With every grueling kilometer extending his new world record by one, Martin entrenched himself another 82 km into the history books today. We had a hairy moment while passing some red rock cliffs as the swimmer was caught in giant whirlpool and spun around helplessly for some thirty seconds.

Even the escort boat lost control for a moment, and was turned around in circles. By the time we could reach Martin and throw him the rescue chord his adrenaline had kicked into overdrive and he’d used his powerful arms and legs to thrust himself out of the whirling tornado threatening to suck him under the water. Nearly any other swimmer would have lost his life.

Meanwhile, the team onboard the support boat was experiencing a completely different crisis. A frantically tearful father raced toward the Cassiquiari at full speed in a small boat, screaming in Portuguese and pleading for help for his dying daughter. The thirteen year old girl had fallen from high up in a tree and had been impaled with a sharp limb from near the ground. The large stick had entered her midsection and caused some serious internal wounds. Dr. Leonni Stanonik performed an emergency surgery, saving the girl’s life.

>>Matthew Mohlke