A former British police officer has begun an attempt to set a world record by swimming every mile of the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to South America.
Ben Hooper walked down a beach in Dakar, Senegal, and into the Atlantic Ocean Sunday, launching a swim that will take him nearly 3,200 kms to Brazil.
Flanked by two boats and a crew of less than a dozen, the 38-year-old Hooper hopes to next step on land in March, after swimming about eight hours a day through shark-infested waters.
Inspired by his daughter, Hooper hopes to encourage others to swim and to raise money for select charities.
Hooper says if he gets to Brazil with the help of currents, he will swim until he fulfills the full Atlantic mileage.
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