Atlantic and Indian oceans. Swim across the ocean: Stories of travelers who managed to conquer the sea

ABOUT young guy named Tom Sauer, who, together with a friend, tried to cross the Atlantic in a rowing boat, but was wrecked. Tom told us then that not many people in the whole world have accomplished this feat, and this turned out to be true. And especially few people dared to cross Atlantic Ocean alone. From a small list (only 95 people on our entire planet), FURFUR selected a few particularly memorable cases when a traveler crossed the Atlantic completely alone.

John Fairfax

The first person in the world to dare to cross the Atlantic alone. His whole life, in general, foreshadowed such a turn of events: at the age of 13, he decided to live like Mowgli, and for this purpose he went to the Amazon jungle - and for some time he stayed like that, trading jaguar skins.

At the age of 22, he was strongly drawn to Argentina, where he spent his childhood. There was no money, so he rode there from San Francisco on a bicycle (he got to Venezuela), did some fraudulent business in Panama, tried to hide from the cooperators and finally got to Argentina, but on horseback. When it came to the Atlantic, he was already 32 years old, and this test was not the worst. He later swam from San Francisco to Australia with his wife (the first woman who agreed to such madness), but that’s another story.

Tom McClean

Tom McClean crossed the Atlantic Ocean almost simultaneously with Fairfax - literally four months later, but from east to west. True, Tom is also known for repeating the feat in 1982, but on a tiny boat just over three meters long. In subsequent years, Tom never calmed down and crossed the Atlantic five more times, despite the fact that his wife and two children were waiting for him on the shore. In general, a desperate guy.

Amir Khan Klink

As for the southern part of the Atlantic, Amir Klink was the first to cross it. Especially for him, a Brazilian company developed and produced powdered freeze-dried food (a type of soft-dried canned food in which it is frozen, from there it is placed in a vacuum chamber, where the solvent is removed or sublimated from it. - Note ed.) so that he can eat in open ocean like an astronaut in outer space.

In 2002, he was tired of the memories of the feat accomplished in the south, so he turned 180 degrees and traveled around the Arctic Circle. And he was also the very first to do this, because this route had not been explored by anyone before. He wrote many books about his travels and is still alive and well.

Tory Murden

The first woman to sail solo across the Atlantic in a rowing boat. She prefers to call herself not a traveler, but a discoverer. Despite the very natural science interest that this adventure represents, Tori Murden is, as they say, a humanist - a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's degree in theology, and a master's degree in fine arts. In short, with such baggage, of course, there is nothing to do on solid ground, so, having graduated from all her universities, at the age of 36 she got into a boat and sailed across the ocean.

Theodor Rezvoy

This proud Odessa resident is the first person from the CIS to travel across the Atlantic on a rowing boat. Like any normal soviet man, Theodore attended sports sections and clubs in all possible disciplines. Therefore, by the time of his journey, he turned out to be a professional athlete, artist, sailor and, probably, a wonderful person. Theodore crossed the Atlantic 14th in the world (among single swimmers).

Fedor Konyukhov

During his 62 years, Fyodor Konyukhov sailed around the world four times and crossed the Atlantic 15 times. Of these, one time was on a rowing boat (and it is believed that this is the best result on a classic boat).

Member Russian Academy arts (painted more than four thousand paintings), the Writers' Union (he already has nine books to his name), sea captain, honorary citizen of nine regions of the world, the first Russian to conquer the Grand Slam (Northern and South pole, Everest).

In short, if you set yourself the goal of surpassing Fedor Konyukhov in terms of adventures and achievements on a global scale, then you need to start earlier, at about five years old.

Charles Hedrich

This enterprising Frenchman set a world record for the fastest solo swim across the Atlantic. His example as a whole shows how hot the fire of life burns in a person, which does not allow him to sit down for a second: he went on a solo trip to Antarctica (550 km, by the way), went to both poles, on ski expeditions to Kabul, to Everest, and so on further. He crossed the Atlantic several times, and did it twice: alone, without anyone else's help, and in the company of a friend, but without stopping.

Katie Spotz

To date, Katie is the youngest sailor to cross the Atlantic alone: ​​she was only 22 years old when she ventured on this journey. It should be noted here that such a journey did not happen suddenly - at the age of 18, this girl from Ohio ran a marathon, some time later she rode five thousand kilometers across the States on a bicycle and became the first person to travel 566 km along the Allegheny River (this is such a healthy tributary of the Ohio River in Pennsylvania).

At the same time, Katie collaborated with two charitable foundations, fighting for good ecology, and was looking for ways to help the planet, so I decided that a trip across the Atlantic on a rowing boat would be the best way attracting finance to Blue Planet Run. And she turned out to be right - the trip brought the fund 150 thousand dollars.

The most interesting facts about the Atlantic Ocean:

1. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean on our planet after Pacific Ocean.

2. Interesting fact about the Atlantic Ocean is that it modern name comes from the name of the titan - Atlas, the hero Greek mythology, who held the sky on his shoulders. Previously, this ocean was called the Western Ocean. The first navigator to cross the Atlantic Ocean was Columbus.

3. Atlantis is a continent that, according to legend, existed in ancient times on the territory of the Atlantic Ocean. According to legend, as a result of changes on the planet, he went under water along with all the inhabitants. Officially, Atlantis is considered to be invented by Plato as an image of the depravity of people.

4. One of the most beautiful “attractions” of the Atlantic Ocean is a huge underwater hole, which is located in the center of the Belize Barrier Reef Atoll and is an unforgettable sight for everyone who saw it. It was given its name because of the sharp boundary between dark and light water. It seems that the depth in the center of the bowl is many kilometers, but in fact it is about 120 m.

5. The Atlantic Ocean has always attracted travelers and researchers. One of these daredevils is Jonathan Trapp, who in the near future intends to overcome 4020 km alone, hanging from a rope of 370 balloons filled with helium. Flying across the Atlantic has been a challenge for balloonists for decades. Five other hopefuls have died attempting such an attempt, and no one has crossed the Atlantic clinging to a string of balloons.

6. An interesting fact is that, according to researchers, the amount of ocean water in the Atlantic is approximately equal to the amount of water in the ice of Antarctica.

7. In the north Atlantic is the largest island on the planet, Greenland. The most distant island on Earth is also located in the Atlantic Ocean. This is Bouvet Island, which is separated from the Cape of Good Hope by 1600 km.

8. In the Atlantic Ocean there is a sea that has no coastal boundaries - Sargasso. Its boundaries are delineated only by ocean currents.

9. The Bermuda Triangle, which is associated with many mysteries and legends of the disappearance of ships and vessels, is located in the Atlantic Ocean.

10. According to some scientists, the Atlantic Ocean is rapidly “aging” and may soon disappear from the face of the Earth. A team of researchers from Australia has discovered rapidly forming subduction zones on the ocean floor. Usually they are a sign of “aging”. Scientists do not exclude the possibility that the “dying” Mediterranean Sea is to blame for their formation. This seems very surprising - after all, according to the generally accepted point of view, this body of water is quite young.

Typically, new oceans are born when continents are torn apart, and hot magma pours out of the fractures, which solidifies and turns into oceanic crust. This is how the Atlantic Ocean was born, when Mesozoic era The supercontinent Pangea split into southern mainland Gondwana and northern Laurasia. Conversely, old oceans die during the period when continents collide and the oceanic crust, under their pressure, sinks back into the mantle. Thus, the aforementioned Tethys disappeared - Africa and India moved closer to Eurasia, leaving absolutely no place for the water basin that previously separated these continents.

The second largest ocean is the Atlantic. The ocean surface underwater was formed in different periods of time. The formation of the ocean began in the Mesozoic era, when a supercontinent split into several continents, which moved and as a result formed the primary oceanic lithosphere. Next, the formation of islands and continents occurred, which contributed to the change coastline and area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past 40 million years, the ocean basin has opened along one rift axis, which continues to this day, since the plates move annually at a certain speed.

History of the study of the Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean has been explored by people since ancient times. The most important trade routes of the ancient Greeks and Carthaginians, Phoenicians and Romans passed through it. In the Middle Ages, the Normans swam to the shores of Greenland, although there are sources confirming that they completely swam across the ocean and reached the shores of North America.

In the era of the greats geographical discoveries expeditions crossed the ocean:

• B. Diasha;
• H. Columba;
• J. Cabot;
• Vasco da Gama;
• F. Magellan.

Initially, it was believed that sailors crossed the ocean and discovered new way to India, but much later it became clear that this New Earth. The development of the northern shores of the Atlantic lasted in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, maps were drawn up, the process of collecting information about the water area was underway, climatic features, directions and speed of ocean currents.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, significant development and study of the Atlantic Ocean belonged to G. Alice, J. Cook, I. Krusenstern, E. Lentz, J. Ross. They studied temperature regime water and plotted the contours of the banks, studied ocean depths and bottom features.

From the twentieth century to the present day basic research Atlantic Ocean. This is an oceanographic study using special devices, allowing you to study not only water regime water area, but also bottom topography, underwater flora and fauna. In addition, it is studying how the ocean climate affects the weather of the continents.

Thus, the Atlantic Ocean is the most important ecosystem of our planet, part of the World Ocean. It needs to be studied because it has a huge impact on environment, and in the depths of the ocean it opens amazing world nature.

Travel has always attracted people, but before it was not only interesting, but also extremely difficult. The territories were unexplored, and when setting off, everyone became an explorer. Which travelers are the most famous and what exactly did each of them discover?

James Cook

The famous Englishman was one of the best cartographers of the eighteenth century. He was born in the north of England and by the age of thirteen began to work with his father. But the boy turned out to be incapable of trading, so he decided to take up sailing. In those days, all the famous travelers of the world went to distant lands by ship. James became interested in maritime affairs and advanced so quickly career ladder that he was offered to become captain. He refused and went to the Royal Navy. Already in 1757, the talented Cook began to steer the ship himself. His first achievement was the design of the channel of the St. Lawrence River. He discovered his talent as a navigator and cartographer. In the 1760s he explored Newfoundland, which attracted the attention of the Royal Society and the Admiralty. He was entrusted with a journey across the Pacific Ocean, where he reached the shores of New Zealand. In 1770, he accomplished something that other famous travelers had not achieved before - he discovered a new continent. Cook returned to England in 1771 as the famous pioneer of Australia. His last journey was an expedition in search of a passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Today, even schoolchildren know the sad fate of Cook, who was killed by cannibal natives.

Christopher Columbus

Famous travelers and their discoveries have always had a significant influence on the course of history, but few turned out to be as famous as this man. Columbus became national hero Spain, decisively expanding the map of the country. Christopher was born in 1451. The boy quickly achieved success because he was diligent and studied well. Already at the age of 14 he went to sea. In 1479, he met his love and began life in Portugal, but after the tragic death of his wife, he and his son went to Spain. Having received support Spanish king, he went on an expedition, the purpose of which was to find a way to Asia. Three ships sailed from the coast of Spain to the west. In October 1492 they reached the Bahamas. This is how America was discovered. Christopher mistakenly decided to call the local residents Indians, believing that he had reached India. His report changed history: two new continents and many islands, discovered by Columbus, became the main direction of travel for colonialists over the next few centuries.

Vasco da Gama

The most famous traveler of Portugal was born in the city of Sines on September 29, 1460. From a young age he worked in the navy and became famous as a confident and fearless captain. In 1495, King Manuel came to power in Portugal, who dreamed of developing trade with India. For this, a sea route was needed, in search of which Vasco da Gama had to go. There were more famous sailors and travelers in the country, but for some reason the king chose him. In 1497, four ships sailed south, rounded and sailed to Mozambique. They had to stop there for a month - half the team by that time was suffering from scurvy. After the break, Vasco da Gama reached Calcutta. In India, he established trade relations for three months, and a year later returned to Portugal, where he became a national hero. The discovery of a sea route that made it possible to get to Calcutta by east coast Africa became his main achievement.

Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay

Famous Russian travelers also accomplished a lot important discoveries. For example, the same Nikolai Mikhlukho-Maclay, born in 1864 in the Novgorod province. He was unable to graduate from St. Petersburg University, as he was expelled for participating in student demonstrations. To continue his education, Nikolai went to Germany, where he met Haeckel, a natural scientist who invited Miklouho-Maclay to his scientific expedition. This is how the world of wanderings opened up for him. His whole life was devoted to travel and scientific work. Nikolai lived in Sicily, Australia, studied New Guinea, implementing the Russian project Geographical Society, visited Indonesia, the Philippines, the Malacca Peninsula and Oceania. In 1886, the naturalist returned to Russia and proposed to the emperor to found a Russian colony overseas. But the project with New Guinea did not receive royal support, and Miklouho-Maclay became seriously ill and soon died without completing his work on the travel book.

Ferdinand Magellan

Many famous navigators and travelers lived during the era of the Great Magellan is no exception. In 1480 he was born in Portugal, in the city of Sabrosa. Having gone to serve at court (at that time he was only 12 years old), he learned about the confrontation between home country and Spain, about travel to the East Indies and trade routes. This is how he first became interested in the sea. In 1505, Fernand got on a ship. For seven years after that, he roamed the seas and took part in expeditions to India and Africa. In 1513, Magellan traveled to Morocco, where he was wounded in battle. But this did not curb his thirst for travel - he planned an expedition for spices. The king rejected his request, and Magellan went to Spain, where he received all the necessary support. That's how it started trip around the world. Fernand thought that from the west the route to India might be shorter. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reached South America and opened a strait that would later be named after him. became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. He used it to reach the Philippines and almost reached his goal - the Moluccas, but died in a battle with local tribes, wounded by a poisonous arrow. However, his journey revealed a new ocean to Europe and the understanding that the planet was much larger than scientists had previously thought.

Roald Amundsen

The Norwegian was born at the very end of an era in which many famous travelers became famous. Amundsen became the last of the explorers trying to find undiscovered lands. Since childhood, he was distinguished by perseverance and self-confidence, which allowed him to conquer the Southern geographic pole. The beginning of the journey is connected with 1893, when the boy dropped out of university and got a job as a sailor. In 1896 he became a navigator, and the following year he set off on his first expedition to Antarctica. The ship was lost in the ice, the crew suffered from scurvy, but Amundsen did not give up. He took command, cured the people, remembering his medical training, and led the ship back to Europe. Having become a captain, in 1903 he set out to search for the Northwest Passage off Canada. Famous travelers before him had never done anything like this - in two years the team covered the path from the east of the American continent to its west. Amundsen became famous throughout the world. The next expedition was a two-month trip to the Southern Plus, and the last enterprise was the search for Nobile, during which he went missing.

David Livingston

Many famous travelers are associated with sailing. He became a land explorer, namely the African continent. The famous Scot was born in March 1813. At age 20, he decided to become a missionary, met Robert Moffett and wanted to go to African villages. In 1841 he came to Kuruman, where he taught local residents how to agriculture, served as a doctor and taught literacy. There he learned the Bechuana language, which helped him in his travels around Africa. Livingston studied in detail the life and customs of the local residents, wrote several books about them and went on an expedition in search of the sources of the Nile, in which he fell ill and died of a fever.

Amerigo Vespucci

The world's most famous travelers most often came from Spain or Portugal. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Italy and became one of the famous Florentines. He received good education and studied to be a financier. From 1490 he worked in Seville, in the Medici trade mission. His life was connected with sea travel, for example, he sponsored Columbus's second expedition. Christopher inspired him with the idea of ​​​​trying himself as a traveler, and already in 1499 Vespucci went to Suriname. The purpose of the voyage was to explore the coastline. There he opened a settlement called Venezuela - little Venice. In 1500 he returned home, bringing 200 slaves. In 1501 and 1503 Amerigo repeated his travels, acting not only as a navigator, but also as a cartographer. He discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro, the name of which he gave himself. From 1505 he served the king of Castile and did not participate in campaigns, only equipped other people’s expeditions.

Francis Drake

Many famous travelers and their discoveries benefited humanity. But among them there are also those who left behind a bad memory, since their names were associated with rather cruel events. The English Protestant, who sailed on a ship from the age of twelve, was no exception. He captured locals in the Caribbean, sold them into slavery to the Spaniards, attacked ships and fought with Catholics. Perhaps no one could match Drake in the number of captured foreign ships. His campaigns were sponsored by the Queen of England. In 1577, he went to South America to defeat the Spanish settlements. During the journey he found Tierra del Fuego and the strait which was subsequently named after him. Having sailed around Argentina, Drake plundered the port of Valparaiso and two Spanish ships. Having reached California, he met the natives who presented the British with gifts of tobacco and bird feathers. Drake crossed the Indian Ocean and returned to Plymouth, becoming the first British person to circumnavigate the world. He was admitted to the House of Commons and awarded the title of Sir. In 1595 he died on his last trip to the Caribbean.

Afanasy Nikitin

Few famous Russian travelers have achieved the same heights as this native of Tver. Afanasy Nikitin became the first European to visit India. He traveled to the Portuguese colonialists and wrote “Walking across the Three Seas” - a most valuable literary and historical monument. The success of the expedition was ensured by the career of a merchant: Afanasy knew several languages ​​and knew how to negotiate with people. On his journey, he visited Baku, lived in Persia for about two years and reached India by ship. Visiting several cities exotic country, he went to Parvat, where he stayed for a year and a half. After the province of Raichur, he headed to Russia, charting a route through the Arabian and Somali peninsulas. However, Afanasy Nikitin never made it home, because he fell ill and died near Smolensk, but his notes were preserved and provided the merchant with world fame.

Christopher Columbus.

This was 500 years ago. European sailors were looking for a way to the land of fabulous wealth - India. The bravest of them set off on dangerous voyages across uncharted seas and oceans.

In the summer of 1492, Admiral Columbus gave the command to raise the sails, and the caravels "Nina", "Pinta" and "Santa Maria" sailed from Spain. The famous journey across the Atlantic Ocean - the “Sea of ​​Darkness” - began. On the seventieth day of the voyage, a sailor shouted from the mast of the Pinta caravel: “Earth! I see the earth! This is how America was discovered.

Christopher Columbus did not know that he had discovered a new part of the world. Until the end of his life, he believed that he had sailed to India.

Ferdinand Magellan.

The first trip around the world was made by a sailor from Portugal - Ferdinand Magellan. In the fall of 1519, the Spanish flotilla under the command of Magellan set off. Across the Atlantic Ocean, across the strait in South America, the ships entered the expanses of the Pacific Ocean. For four months, suffering from thirst and hunger, travelers sailed through the vast waters of the Great Ocean and finally reached unknown islands.

The expedition suffered many losses. And among these losses is the death of Admiral Magellan. On the only surviving ship, the Victoria, the travelers continued sailing. On September 6, 1522, tormented by storms, the ship returned to Spain. There were only seventeen people on board. Thus ended the first voyage around the world in the history of navigation.

Willem Barents.

Dutch navigator Willem Barents was one of the first Arctic explorers. In 1596, during the third voyage to northern seas, Barents's ship was covered in ice near the island of Novaya Zemlya. The sailors had to leave the ship and prepare for the winter. They built a house from logs and ship planks. The travelers spent a long polar winter in this dwelling. We endured both hunger and cold... The long-awaited summer has arrived. The ship was still trapped in ice. And the sailors decided to get home by boat. A chance meeting with Russian sailors - the Pomors - saved the Dutch from death. But Willem Barents was no longer among the rescued. The navigator died on the way to his homeland, in the sea, which would later be called the Barents Sea.

Vitus Bering.

On June 4, 1741, two Russian ships under the command of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov set sail across the Pacific Ocean. They were tasked with finding a sea route from Kamchatka to America.

The journey was difficult. Chirikov's ship, after many months of wandering at sea, returned to Kamchatka. Bering continued sailing alone. In July 1741, Bering reached the shores of America. On his way back he discovered many islands. Luck pleased the captain. But the ship ran out of fresh water and food. The sailors were sick. Bering himself became seriously ill with scurvy. During a storm, a ship washed ashore on an unknown island. The sailors buried the commander on this island. Now the island bears Bering's name. The sea and the strait between Asia and America through which he passed are named after the famous captain.

James Cook.

James Cook began sailing ships as a boy - a cabin boy. Time passed, and Cook became the captain of the ship. In 1768, Captain Cook set out on his first voyage around the world on the ship Endever. He returned to his homeland, England, only three years later. Soon James Cook set off on a new voyage to find the mysterious " Southern land" He never found the “South Land,” but he discovered many islands in the Pacific Ocean. Cook's ships sailed under the scorching sun of the equator, and among the ice of the polar seas. James Cook was the first to circumnavigate the Earth three times.

F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev.

In the summer of 1819, two sloops, “Vostok” and “Mirny”, left Kronstadt for a long voyage. The ships were commanded by outstanding sailors of the Russian fleet Thaddeus Bellingshauseni Mikhail Lazarev. Having covered a huge distance, the Russian ships entered the cold Antarctic waters. Icebergs were increasingly encountered on their way. Swimming became dangerous. The ship will collide with ice mountain- not good enough. But brave captains led the ships to the goal. And then the sailors saw the shore. The shore of the mysterious “Southern Land” - Antarctica. A sixth of the world has been discovered. This was done by Russian sailors. Now the seas are named after Bellingshausen and Lazarev. Two Soviet Antarctic scientific stations bear the names of the glorious ships - “Vostok” and “Mirny”.

N.N. Miklouho-Maclay.

In 1871, the corvette Vityaz delivered to the island New Guinea traveler Miklouho-Maclay. This is where he was supposed to live for a long time, study the life of the inhabitants of the island - the Papuans. These dark-skinned people lived as if they were in the Stone Age. And so the ship sailed, but the Russian traveler remained on the shore. The Papuans greeted the guest with hostility. But Miklouho-Maclay, with his kindness and courage, won the trust of the Guineans and became their true friend. The scientist admired their hard work and honesty. Taught the Papuans to use iron tools and gave them seeds useful plants. Miklouho-Maclay visited New Guinea more than once. The memory of the great Russian traveler is still alive on the distant island.

Thor Heyerdahl.

It happens that in our time people go on trips on ancient ships. Such trips were made by the Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl.

Ancient pyramids rise in South America. They are very similar to Egyptian pyramids, which stand on the other side of the ocean. Is this a coincidence? Maybe people swam from one continent to another 5,000 years ago? Thor Heyerdahl decided to check this out. He built a boat in Egypt from a herbaceous plant - papyrus, as in ancient times, and called it “Ra”. On this boat, Heyerdahl and his friends sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. The first time he crossed half of the Pacific Ocean was on the Kon-Tiki raft. Heyerdahl recently made another amazing voyage on the reed ship Tigris. Representatives from different countries took part in all of Thor Heyerdahl's travels. Among them was the Russian scientist Yuri Senkevich.