Man who nearly drowned wants to swim Atlantic as child

dakar - A 38-year-old Briton is Sunday in Senegal began the swim of his life. Former policeman Ben Hooper wants to be the first man to swim across the Atlantic Ocean. The grueling journey to Brazil is over 3200 kilometers long. Hooper expects to reach a Brazilian beach in March 2017.

A twelve-man crew, divided into two boats to assist him during the crossing.

Hooper has trained three years for the hellish job. 'I'm doing this for my daughter and can not wait to start,' Hooper said when he walked in Dakar on the beach towards the ocean. The swimmer will pause eight hours a day on the boat Big Blue. He can eat and sleep.

Water plays a prominent role in the life of the Briton. 'When I was five years old, I almost drowned in a pool in Belgium. Since then I have something with water. Three years ago I went into a depression. I felt I had an act for my daughter to get back on the right path. No one has ever swum across an ocean. There are even more people stood on the moon, but nobody has ever performed. '

Hooper will camouflaging wearing swimsuits designed to protect him from attack, for example sharks. However, the greatest danger during the five-month swim, according to Hooper dehydration. 'But I must especially not disappoint my daughter. '