Issue 54 - November 2019

Swimming the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with Ben Lecomte

By Kevin Majoros

a left hand holding an empty plastic water bottle with barnacles

Mankind is producing over 300 million tons of plastic every year with 50 percent of it being for single-use purposes. More than 8 million tons of that same plastic is being dumped in our ocean where it will exist for several hundred years.

With a goal of inspiring people to change their habits on land, Ben Lecomte launched into the sea off Grays Beach in Waikiki in June to swim 300 nautical miles through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Dubbed as the Vortex Swim, Lecomte was accompanied by a 67-foot yacht and nine crew members which included sailors, a doctor, a cook, storytellers, videographers, and scientists conducting experiments.

a turtle swimming in the ocean along with a bunch of plastic trash floating in the ocean

When it ended more than two months later, Lecomte had been in the water for 239 hours and swam 338 nautical miles – the escort boat had traveled 5,386 nautical miles.

Raising Awareness Through Open Water Swimming

No stranger to taking on big swims, Lecomte swam across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998 to raise money for cancer research as a tribute to his father.

Born and raised around Paris, Lecomte says he was fortunate to have parents who were open to activities in the water. He grew up windsurfing and waterskiing before he turned to open water swimming.

“I saw a story about an athlete rowing across the Atlantic and I started considering the possibility of swimming across it,” says Lecomte. “When my father got sick, it was a kick in the butt for me to chase my dream.”

great pacific garbage patch_storage basket_@DWLANGDONTHE VORTEX SWIM

His first thoughts after completing the swim in 1998 were – never again. After a few months, the bad and difficult memories faded away and he started considering new possibilities. The ideas were put to the side when he married his wife Tinny and had a daughter.

After years of planning and training, Lecomte made a world record attempt in 2018 to swim across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to the United States.

The expedition was ended after 1,753 miles of swimming due to wind damage to the escort boat. The swim was dedicated to raising awareness for plastic debris and ocean trash.

a man swimming in the ocean a long with a boat sailing with a swing net

Swimming in the Highest Concentration of Ocean Plastic in the World

After the 2018 swim, Lecomte had a decision to make about any future swims.

“Either I stop, or I find the support to focus on the big issue – the garbage patch,” Lecomte says. “The scientists wanted to hit certain points and specific locations for testing.”

The Vortex Swim was described as part adventure and part research experiment. There are two garbage patches in the Pacific Ocean and Lecomte and his team targeted the eastern portion of the North Pacific patch.

That patch is estimated to be twice the size of Texas and holds 79,000 tons of trash.

The research partners for the swim included the University of Hawaii, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, among others.

a man picking up a trash from the ocean while he was swimming

Lecomte swam through “smaller” eddies that ranged in size from 20 to 50 kilometers. It was an opportunity for the scientists to collect data on movement of the debris, microplastics, microfibers and biological samples.

“Even at a slow speed on a boat you might not see a lot, but when you swim in it and look down, it is a different world,” says Lecomte. “You can see the microplastics and it is like looking at the sky on a snowy day.”

Inside the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

While swimming and retrieving trackers, Lecomte had a firsthand look at what makes up the patch. In addition to the expected plastic bottles, there are abandoned fishing nets, storage crates, laundry baskets, toilet seats, and much more.

Plastic do not biodegrade in the same way as other items, instead their exposure to sunlight causes them to decay and break apart into smaller pieces known as microplastics.

According to a study published by the American Chemical Society, an estimated 84% of plastics in the ocean patches carry dangerous levels of at least one chemical, and the creatures that live in and around the patches may have plastic as a major component of their diet.

pacific garbage patch_crate surrounded by fish_@OSLESTON FOR THE VORTEX SWIM

“The larger pieces of plastic we encountered along with the ghost nets, had ecosystems living around them,” Lecomte says. “Plastic has become a medium for sea life to be carried to new environments through the Pacific currents. It was at times beautiful, but also ironic because it is bringing invasive species to new locations.”

The fish that were caught during the expedition were opened up and found to have large pieces of plastic inside in comparison to their size.

“We could see and count the microplastics,” says Lecomte. “What is scary is knowing that there also microfibers which we cannot see.”

a man picking a huge bucket trash from the Pacific Ocean while swimming and diving

Change Comes from Awareness

Lecomte is currently back at his home in the United States where he works as an architect. Along with spending time with his family, he has had time to reflect on his most recent adventure.

“I remember when I was a little kid and my father taught me how to swim in the Seine,” Lecomte says. “Now with my kids we always find trash when we swim. The takeaway is that it won’t affect my life too much, but it will affect my kids and their kids.”

Lecomte says that he wants to continue to talk about what he witnessed and experienced during the Vortex Swim.

“It is important to keep bringing attention to the issue of plastics – the solution is in our hands,” he says. “As more people start a discussion, it will lead to more people talking about it. It’s time to change our habits.”

Ben Lecomte, VorTtex, Icebreaker, Micro PlastIics, Hawaii

Follow Ben Lecomte on Instagram

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Related Topics:conservation diving fish hawaii Pacific Ocean plastic plastic pollution sailing sea turtle underwater photography

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Issue 54 - November 2019

Giacomo Abrusci Blue Ambassador of the Year Award Recipient

Giacomo Abrusci, the recipient of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center Blue Ambassador of the Year Award exemplifies significant contributions in marine conservation through volunteer-related activities.

Nearly everyone in the ocean conservation community is familiar with SEVENSEAS Media. What most people do not know is that the entire organization was founded by, and is run by one volunteer individual, Giacomo Abrusci. For nearly 5 years he has tirelessly dedicated his time to elevating our community by providing a grassroots outlet for individuals to network, tell stories, share professional development and career opportunities, and even take part in networking events and beach cleanups. With 30k monthly visitors to his site and subscribers in 174 countries, Giacomo is single-handedly strengthening the capacity of the ocean conservation community by building bridges with his free resource.

Through SEVENSEAS Media, Giacomo provides tens of thousands with news and career resources, he gives an outlet for hundreds of organizations to share their good work and fundraise, and he offers virtual and in-person opportunities for direct action.

Giacomo does all this, as a volunteer, for free. Honoring him with the Blue Ambassador of the Year Award not only acknowledges his efforts but brings attention to SEVENSEAS Media where others within our community can get involved, support, or benefit from the resource.

Learn more about the Loggerhead Marinelife Center Go Blue Awards here.

If you would like to get involved or have ideas to collaborate, email giacomo at sevenseasmedia.org.

Issue 54 - November 2019

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – November 2019 – Issue 54

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Issue 54 - November 2019

Six Blue Parks Join the Growing Network of Global Ocean Refuges

Blue Park Awards Presented to Marine Protected Areas that Meet the Highest Standards of Marine Life Protection

Our Ocean Conference in Oslo, Norway, Marine Conservation Institute and its international science council awarded six outstanding marine protected areas (MPAs) Blue Park designation. A total of 16 MPAs now hold the prestigious Blue Park Award indicating that they meet the highest science-based standards for marine life protection and management. The Blue Park Award recognizes outstanding efforts by nations, non-profits, MPA managers, and local stake-holders that effectively protect marine ecosystems now and into the future.

“Our goal is to recognize those MPAs that deliver on biodiversity conservation, really protecting our ocean environment and inspiring others around the world to strongly protect at least 30% of the ocean’s most important places by 2030,” said Dr. Lance Morgan, President of Marine Conservation Institute. “Blue Park recognition provides regional examples of successful efforts and serves as a road map for others as we strive to protect our oceans for generations to come.”

After months of rigorous review by Marine Conservation Institute and an independent scientific panel, today’s announcement welcomes the following Blue Parks to a growing network of global ocean refuges (See this link for detailed information on each Blue Park and the system of parks: https://marine-conservation.box.com/s/xfh3bs9tn0ydh2c45vkdzq5vrz367l7p.)

Aldabra Atoll Special Reserve, Seychelles, size in 2,559 km² and 988 mi²
Area Marina Protetta di Torre Guaceto, Italy, size in 22 km² and 9 mi²
Arnavon Community Marine Park, Solomon Islands, 169 km² and 65 mi²
Marine Protected Areas around the Northern Channel Islands, California, USA, 3,804 km² and 1,469 mi²
Parque Nacional Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, 2,011 km² and 777 mi²
Reserva Marina de Galápagos, Ecuador, 138,000 km² and 53,282 mi²

Total Area for 2019 Blue Park Awardees is 146,565 km² and 56,590 mi²

“Blue Parks are the antidotes to the barrage of threats to life in our oceans,” said Dr. Sarah Hameed, Senior Scientist of Marine Conservation Institute. “MPAs may not be able to stop climate change impacts immediately, but strong protected areas in the right places today will enable ecosystems to recover and build resilience for the future.”

An international council of marine scientists evaluates MPAs nominated for the Blue Park Award and determines which ones meet the standards. The Blue Park Award criteria are based on what scientists have learned about what works to safeguard marine ecosystems. The evaluation of each nominee includes location, design, management, regulations and compliance to select MPAs that effectively protect the world’s most valuable and critical ecosystems.

“This is a time of great peril for ocean life as it faces off against increasing marine industrialization and climate change,” said Professor Douglas McCauley of UC Santa Barbara, Director of the Benioff Ocean Initiative and a member of the international science council for Blue Parks, “Blue Park Awards are shining a light on protected areas that are leading efforts to protect marine biodiversity and help promote resiliency to climate change impacts.”

A growing number of countries and conservation organizations are encouraging the creation of hundreds of new protected areas to reach the world’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14) of protecting 10% of our oceans by 2020 and the proposed goal of at least 30% by 2030. Marine Conservation Institute is working to ensure as many MPAs as possible meet the high conservation standards of Blue Parks.

“Many of today’s marine protected areas are not effectively protecting the best places,” continued Dr. Hameed. “They’re often ‘paper parks’ appearing to meet commitments but lacking substance. Achieving a Blue Park Award requires meeting science-based standards we know will protect the oceans for generations to come. If we elevate and bring recognition to Blue Parks, we believe it will encourage more countries and leaders to meet this critical standard going forward.”

Today’s 6 winners join 10 prestigious 2017 & 2018 awardees. The network now includes 16 Blue Parks covering 1,669,388 km² or 644,404 mi² of ocean (approximately the size of Alaska or Iran, or 3 times the size of Kenya). These outstanding marine protected areas are securing lasting protection for marine biodiversity and their hard-won recognition has already inspired others to work towards a Blue Park Award. Nominations for the 2020 awards can be made through mid-March. Visit blueparks.org to find out how your marine protected area can become a Blue Park.

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