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Man aims to swim across the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean - Level 0

A 51-year-old French man will swim 9,000km across the Pacific Ocean. He started on Tuesday. He will swim for eight hours a day for six months. It is dangerous. There are sharks. The ocean is cold. He will be tired and lonely. He said being strong mentally was important. He will "always think about something positive."

The man trained for six years. He swam every day. He is in great shape. He is doing the swim to get people to think about climate change, and about how much plastic there is in the ocean. Doctors will check his body to see how so much exercise affects the heart. After he swam across the Atlantic in 1998, he said: "Never again."

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Pacific Ocean - Level 1

A French man is swimming across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to the USA. Ben Lecomte, 51, set off on Tuesday. It will take him six months to swim the 9,000km. He will swim for eight hours a day. There will be many dangers, like sharks, storms, rough seas, and very cold water. He will also have to fight exhaustion, loneliness and injuries. Lecomte said the mental part was most important. He said: "You have to...always think about something positive."

Lecomte trained his body and mind for six years for this challenge. He swam in the sea every day. He is in top physical condition. He needs to be mentally strong. He is doing the swim to raise awareness of climate change, and the effects of plastic rubbish and the Fukushima nuclear disaster on the ocean. Scientists will check his body to see how so much exercise affects the heart. In 1998, he swam across the Atlantic. After that, he said: "Never again."

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Pacific Ocean - Level 2

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A French man will try to swim across the Pacific Ocean. Ben Lecomte, 51, set off from Japan on Tuesday. It will take him more than six months to finish the 9,000-km swim. He will swim for eight hours a day to get to the west coast of the USA. He will also face many dangers. There will be sharks, jellyfish, storms, rough seas, and very cold water. He will also have to fight exhaustion and any injuries he gets along the way. However, Mr Lecomte said: "The mental part is much more important than the physical. You have to make sure you always think about something positive."

Lecomte trained for six years for this challenge. He has practised every day by swimming in the sea to make sure he is in top physical condition. He also trained his mind. He will be very lonely and he needs to be mentally strong. He is doing the swim to raise awareness of climate change, the effects of plastic rubbish in the ocean, and the effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Scientists will check his body to see how so much exercise affects the heart. In 1998, Lecomte made the first solo trans-Atlantic swim. When he reached dry land, his first words were, "never again".

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Pacific Ocean - Level 3

A French swimmer will try to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean. Ben Lecomte, 51, set off from Japan on Tuesday on his superhuman task of crossing the ocean. It will take him more than six months to complete the 9,000-km swim. He will have to swim for eight hours a day to reach his target on the west coast of the USA. He will also have to face many dangers. There will be sharks, jellyfish, storms, rough seas, and very low water temperatures. He will also have to fight exhaustion and any injuries he picks up along the way. However, Mr Lecomte said: "The mental part is much more important than the physical. You have to make sure you always think about something positive."

Lecomte has been training for six years to take up this challenge. He has practised every day during that time by swimming in the sea. This is to make sure he is in top physical condition. He has also been training his mind. It will be a very lonely swim and he needs to be mentally tough. Lecomte said he is doing the swim to raise awareness of climate change, the effects of plastic rubbish in the ocean, and the effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on the ocean. Scientists will also study his body to monitor how extreme exercise affects the heart. In 1998, Lecomte made the first solo trans-Atlantic swim. It took him 73 days to cover the 6,400km. When he reached dry land, his first words were, "never again".

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