Spanish man paddles across Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii

A holiday for Antonio de la Rosa isn’t lounging on a beach relaxing, he certainly doesn’t take it easy whilst on vacation.

According to his website, his past adventure-vacations have included circumnavigating the 3,500 kilometres of the Iberian Peninsula coastline by paddle-surfing for 141 days and crossing Alaska’s Iditarod route for eight days on a bicycle with oversized tires made for snow and ice.

This year his adventure took him from California across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii.

It took de la Rosa, who is from Valladolid, Spain, 76 days to paddle 4,023 kilometres while standing on a submarine-shaped craft he described as a paddle boat. The 6.4-meter-long vessel endured rough weather, including when Hurricane Flossie passed within 200 kilometres.

He ate dehydrated food, using heated water, and sometimes fished. He paddled eight-to-10 hours daily and slept every night. But he was always tired because he woke up hourly to check on his gear.

It’s the kind of adventure, he loves. “I like it because it’s hard,” he said admitted on Monday from Honolulu.

He also stated his disappointment on seeing fishing gear refuse every day of his voyage — including nets and line

His journey was tracked using a device to record every minute and he himself believes his achievement is a record having never been accomplished before. It’s a record because “I certify it,” he said with a laugh.

He celebrated his 50th birthday at sea his sister Vanesa de la Rosa informed. The siblings run an adventure tourism business in Madrid and a small hotel for athletes.