Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe ATALAYA, Peru, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Long-distance swimmer Martin "The Fish Man" Strel prepared himself in Peru Sunday for his greatest challenge yet, swimming the length of the Amazon River. The 52-year-old will start his 3,375-mile journey along the Amazon, a swim that has never before been attempted due to the extreme dangers, later this week, The Sunday Times of London reported. Advertisement Strel, a Slovenian, has already swum the Danube (1,877 miles), the Mississippi (2,360 miles) and the Yangtze (2,487 miles). On his trip, which is equivalent to swimming the Atlantic, Strel will have to deal with venomous snakes, crocodiles, rapids, whirlpools and a 13-foot tidal wave called the Pororoca. He will also have a support team of three boats traveling with him. One of their jobs will be to carry buckets of fresh animal blood to pour into the water to distract potentially lethal predators, including the flesh-eating piranha. "I'm a little afraid because the Amazon is a huge river filled with ferocious creatures, fish and insects," Strel said last week. "I'm going to swim that river or die trying -- but I'm hoping for a happy ending." Advertisement
