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Man Who Swam the Amazon: 3,274 Miles On The World's Deadliest River
On Sunday, April 8, 200 7, 52-year old Martin Strel completed the first-ever swim of the 3,274-mile-long Amazon River. The Fish Man, as he was called by locals, almost died in the process several times; he encountered deadly piranha, crocodiles, anaconda, river sharks, blistering, relentless sun, dangerous currents, river pirates and drug runners, and the insidious candiru. At the finish his blood pressure was at heart attack level, his entire body full of subcutaneous larvae, and besieged by dehydration, diarrhea, and exhaustion. Strel, who holds multiple Guinness world records for long-distance river swims, undertook this epic Amazon swim to call attention to deforestation and river pollution. His journey was covered by national media around the world, and followed by tens of millions of readers on a website tracking his progress (www.amazonswim.com). A documentary film of his journey will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. Drawn from the eloquent and evocative trip diaries of writer Matthew Mohlke, who guided Strel armed with buckets of blood to divert piranha, The Man Who Swam the Amazon is a gripping and inspirational story of perseverance, passion, and A real-life odyssey of a rare and driven man. Martin Strel is one of the most elite athletes in history. He holds three Guinness world records in distance swimming, and is about to earn his fourth for his Amazon swim. Matthew Mohlke is author of Floating Down the Country, an account of his Mississippi River paddling adventures.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
September 21, 2015
The Amazon is the planets mightiest river at 6,437 km long. Only half of this is navigable though, and it is this distance that Martin Strel is intending to swim. He is no stranger to long distance swimming; he holds a number of records and firsts, including being the first to swim from Tunisia to Italy without being killed by sharks.
This was to be his longest and most challenging swim. The Amazon river contains a number of animals that se the lone swimming human as a source of lunch. As well as the notorious piranha that can strip a body in no time at all, there are anaconda snakes, the native crocs and river sharks. On top of that there is the environment, the sun is fierce, the river is hugely powerful and full of bacteria causing horrendous stomach bugs to Martin and the rest of the support crew. And then there is the monumental effort required to complete a swim of this length; it is exhausting, relentless and the physical strain on his body brings him very close to death.
But his epic swim brought much needed publicity and attention to the plight of the Amazon rainforest. His arrival at the towns and villages was celebrated frequently, he gained the accolade of The Fish Man from the locals, and his progress was tracked by thousands on the internet.
It isn’t a bad book overall. Written as a diary, Mohlke has managed to convey the effort required by Strel in undertaking this astonishing challenge, as well as the stresses and strains of the team supporting in his record attempt, as well as giving a flavour of life on the Amazon. The writing is a bit clunky, though that is probably because Mohlke is not an author, but an expedition man. Worth a read though.
This was to be his longest and most challenging swim. The Amazon river contains a number of animals that se the lone swimming human as a source of lunch. As well as the notorious piranha that can strip a body in no time at all, there are anaconda snakes, the native crocs and river sharks. On top of that there is the environment, the sun is fierce, the river is hugely powerful and full of bacteria causing horrendous stomach bugs to Martin and the rest of the support crew. And then there is the monumental effort required to complete a swim of this length; it is exhausting, relentless and the physical strain on his body brings him very close to death.
But his epic swim brought much needed publicity and attention to the plight of the Amazon rainforest. His arrival at the towns and villages was celebrated frequently, he gained the accolade of The Fish Man from the locals, and his progress was tracked by thousands on the internet.
It isn’t a bad book overall. Written as a diary, Mohlke has managed to convey the effort required by Strel in undertaking this astonishing challenge, as well as the stresses and strains of the team supporting in his record attempt, as well as giving a flavour of life on the Amazon. The writing is a bit clunky, though that is probably because Mohlke is not an author, but an expedition man. Worth a read though.
July 16, 2016
What an amazing accomplishment, Martin Strel is some kind of superhero. He is not your normal athlete, he isn't the finely tuned machine you'd expect to see when a person announces he is going to swim the Amazon. He is in his 50's and slightly fat, he breaks the number one rule of swimming, he'll have breakfast/lunch maybe a couple of beers or a glass of wine and then he'll start swimming, there is none of that "waiting 1 hour after eating before you go in". He seems unfazed with the predators he'll face in the water, he is a machine, it's eat, swim, sleep, eat, swim, sleep, day after day.
The book is easy to read, it's not a history or geography lesson, it's a journal written by one of the navigators. It contains his thoughts and concerns about Martin's wellbeing, it shows clearly how Martin deals with the psychological issues of constantly swimming and being in constant pain as the sun burns him, the water makes him ill and his wetsuit slowly chafes away his skin at the joints. You also get an insight into the logistics of running an expedition on a small boat with 23 people on board.
I am ashamed to admit that when this event happened I was completely unaware of it, Martin Strel has recently announced his next big swim so I'll be keeping a look out for updates on how that goes.
The book is easy to read, it's not a history or geography lesson, it's a journal written by one of the navigators. It contains his thoughts and concerns about Martin's wellbeing, it shows clearly how Martin deals with the psychological issues of constantly swimming and being in constant pain as the sun burns him, the water makes him ill and his wetsuit slowly chafes away his skin at the joints. You also get an insight into the logistics of running an expedition on a small boat with 23 people on board.
I am ashamed to admit that when this event happened I was completely unaware of it, Martin Strel has recently announced his next big swim so I'll be keeping a look out for updates on how that goes.
June 17, 2017
I don't know what made me pick up this book, as it's not something I would normally read, but I'm glad I did. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. Martin Steel is a 52-year-old Slovenian marathon swimmer who has swum the length of the Danube, Yangtze, and the Mississippi. In this expedition he tackles the length of the Amazon, avoiding the alligators, piranha, anacondas, and candiru, river pirates, drug smugglers, whirlpools, malaria, dysentery, and other nasty dangers. It was a gripping story. The man's stamina is phenomenal. The story is told in the form of daily journal entries by Matthew Mohlke, the lead navagator. He reveals Martin's character in bits and pieces here and there, but never provides an actual biography of him, which I would have liked, instead focusing on the day to day progress of the swim. Mohlke mentions that Martin was considering Alaska's Yukon River as his next swim. I'd love to know if that happened, and, if so, how it went. You don't have to be a sports or swimming fan to enjoy this book. Recommended for a fast, fun read.
September 4, 2009
What an amazing book! Highly inspirational!
The most appealing thought was reading about the reason for Martin to undertake these endeavors. He says that he wants to protect rivers, save water, help build awareness about Nature and help conserve nature. His swimming endeavors bring all these rivers that he has swam in a spotlight, it highlights, the forest, the nature, the animals and the eco system around these rivers. People start appreciating the role of nature, water in their lives and that contributes to saving nature from its apparent devastation. What a mighty thought!
Hats off to Martin and his crew for being together in this fabulous mission. Martin has four world records to his credit.
I saw the book at the bookstore and picked it up because Martin Strel’s achievement is humongous. I mean, imagine swimming 60-70 miles each day for 66 days through world’s most dangerous river! Reading about his adventure is an inspiration because what he achieved in 2007 requires stamina, building that over a period of time, single minded/maniacal focus, determination and confidence in self. Needless to say, it requires physical strength and endurance but more than that, it requires emotional strength. I think, Martin definitely has that. When you read the book, you realize that even though, Martin was swimming by himself, there were many people in and around him. So ultimately, it’s the team work. I find it interesting that people went on a mission like that with him knowing the dangers in the endeavor. That speaks for their courage and conviction as well.
When I was reading the book, I also realized that Nature has a way of accepting you and adjusting to you. It accepts you once it knows that you are harmless. Imagine, swimming among crocodiles, anacondas, piranhas, candiru and having the company of dolphins, local tribes all the while. The dangers of having to swim through an area infested with Pirates and huge drug trafficking. Wow! Martin seems to be made of a different material. I found it interesting to read that Matthew, many times, found Martin to be like a machine. I understood it as Martin concentrating on his swimming to such an extent that none of the small/minor aches and pains mattered to him.
There are passages in the book, when read, make you feel that Martin did this out of some kind of rebellion. He wanted to prove to someone that he not only can do it but also do it in a way and fashion that no one would ever be able to match. I think, there are references to his childhood and the troubles that he has had with his father being around. Martin is over 55 years and comes from a tiny country called Slovenia. When you see the picture of Martin Strel, it would amaze you. He does not look like a swimmer. I mean, until I read the book and saw his pictures, I was under the impression that swimmers are lean but athletic, tall. They tend to have large feet and long hands. Martin hardly looks like that.
I came across two amazing web sites. In fact, I recommend that you not only read this book but also look at the following two sites. www.amazonswim.com and www.martinstrel.com. They are amazingly informative sites.
I would like to communicate with Martin and with Matthew. I wish them the very best! A must read for all! Also watch his documentary if you get your hands on a copy. Releasing now in the UK, I think.
The most appealing thought was reading about the reason for Martin to undertake these endeavors. He says that he wants to protect rivers, save water, help build awareness about Nature and help conserve nature. His swimming endeavors bring all these rivers that he has swam in a spotlight, it highlights, the forest, the nature, the animals and the eco system around these rivers. People start appreciating the role of nature, water in their lives and that contributes to saving nature from its apparent devastation. What a mighty thought!
Hats off to Martin and his crew for being together in this fabulous mission. Martin has four world records to his credit.
I saw the book at the bookstore and picked it up because Martin Strel’s achievement is humongous. I mean, imagine swimming 60-70 miles each day for 66 days through world’s most dangerous river! Reading about his adventure is an inspiration because what he achieved in 2007 requires stamina, building that over a period of time, single minded/maniacal focus, determination and confidence in self. Needless to say, it requires physical strength and endurance but more than that, it requires emotional strength. I think, Martin definitely has that. When you read the book, you realize that even though, Martin was swimming by himself, there were many people in and around him. So ultimately, it’s the team work. I find it interesting that people went on a mission like that with him knowing the dangers in the endeavor. That speaks for their courage and conviction as well.
When I was reading the book, I also realized that Nature has a way of accepting you and adjusting to you. It accepts you once it knows that you are harmless. Imagine, swimming among crocodiles, anacondas, piranhas, candiru and having the company of dolphins, local tribes all the while. The dangers of having to swim through an area infested with Pirates and huge drug trafficking. Wow! Martin seems to be made of a different material. I found it interesting to read that Matthew, many times, found Martin to be like a machine. I understood it as Martin concentrating on his swimming to such an extent that none of the small/minor aches and pains mattered to him.
There are passages in the book, when read, make you feel that Martin did this out of some kind of rebellion. He wanted to prove to someone that he not only can do it but also do it in a way and fashion that no one would ever be able to match. I think, there are references to his childhood and the troubles that he has had with his father being around. Martin is over 55 years and comes from a tiny country called Slovenia. When you see the picture of Martin Strel, it would amaze you. He does not look like a swimmer. I mean, until I read the book and saw his pictures, I was under the impression that swimmers are lean but athletic, tall. They tend to have large feet and long hands. Martin hardly looks like that.
I came across two amazing web sites. In fact, I recommend that you not only read this book but also look at the following two sites. www.amazonswim.com and www.martinstrel.com. They are amazingly informative sites.
I would like to communicate with Martin and with Matthew. I wish them the very best! A must read for all! Also watch his documentary if you get your hands on a copy. Releasing now in the UK, I think.
June 13, 2013
Was quite disappointed. This book is not a biography nor an autobiography, instead it is simply a book that talks how he watched the swimmer swim. There is really no depth to the characters and the writting is more matter of fact like a newspaper article. The description of this book does not truly represent the book itself.
February 26, 2021
In 2007, Martin Strel set out to swim more than 3,000 miles of the Amazon River. He was not new to long-distance swims: he'd previously swim the Mississippi and the Yangtze, and he and his team had every reason to think that he could succeed.
This book came out of the experience, and while it's not the single best-written book ever, it's also a delight—for an unexpected reason: Strel did not write the book. It's not a ghostwritten memoir. Rather, the book is written by and from the perspective of Mohkle, one of the senior team members in this endeavour. Mohlke had worked with Strel on record-breaking swims before, and his role was manifold: the team writer, but also a navigator and planner and god knows what else. He was about as involved as one could get.
What this means is that Strel is allowed to be human: I think that if he'd written the book—not because of Strel specifically, but because of the nature of I-did-this-athletic-feat books—there'd be more...oh, posturing, and image management, and attempts at deep thoughts. Instead he gets to be this kind of blustering blockhead in the book, a guy who likes things his own way and shouts when they don't go his way; who has a superhuman capacity for swimming; who comes off as a total jock but also has, clearly, a deeply developed imagination. Mohkle tells us of some of Strel's habit, while swimming, of telling himself stories: taking himself mentally out of the water, out of the swim, to a less painful place. It must be a habit developed over years and years. I'm curious about those stories Strel told himself (when asked, he described doing mundane things like visiting his family, which makes sense), but it would take a truly powerful writer to talk in any detail about the mundane imaginary conversations they had with friends and have them be interesting to the reader. Given that this is not a book by or about a literary writer, it's just as well that we see only a blurred version of those stories.
One thing I wanted, though: better pictures! You've seen one picture of a guy in a brown river, you've seen them all; I'd have loved more photos of the scenery, the boats, the villages they passed by.
This book came out of the experience, and while it's not the single best-written book ever, it's also a delight—for an unexpected reason: Strel did not write the book. It's not a ghostwritten memoir. Rather, the book is written by and from the perspective of Mohkle, one of the senior team members in this endeavour. Mohlke had worked with Strel on record-breaking swims before, and his role was manifold: the team writer, but also a navigator and planner and god knows what else. He was about as involved as one could get.
What this means is that Strel is allowed to be human: I think that if he'd written the book—not because of Strel specifically, but because of the nature of I-did-this-athletic-feat books—there'd be more...oh, posturing, and image management, and attempts at deep thoughts. Instead he gets to be this kind of blustering blockhead in the book, a guy who likes things his own way and shouts when they don't go his way; who has a superhuman capacity for swimming; who comes off as a total jock but also has, clearly, a deeply developed imagination. Mohkle tells us of some of Strel's habit, while swimming, of telling himself stories: taking himself mentally out of the water, out of the swim, to a less painful place. It must be a habit developed over years and years. I'm curious about those stories Strel told himself (when asked, he described doing mundane things like visiting his family, which makes sense), but it would take a truly powerful writer to talk in any detail about the mundane imaginary conversations they had with friends and have them be interesting to the reader. Given that this is not a book by or about a literary writer, it's just as well that we see only a blurred version of those stories.
One thing I wanted, though: better pictures! You've seen one picture of a guy in a brown river, you've seen them all; I'd have loved more photos of the scenery, the boats, the villages they passed by.
February 12, 2017
I was hoping this would be as inspirational as Diana Nyad's Find A Way, a memoir about her 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida, but I was very disappointed. It's about Martin Streel's staged 3,274 mile Amazon River swim, but told in day-to-day diary format from one of the members of the expedition–nothing from the perspective of the swimmer himself. When I hear about someone swimming 3,274 miles in the Amazon, I want to get to know that crazy swimmer himself–what might drive him to seek out such a feat. But there were minimal explorations into the swimmer's past or even why he was doing this particular swim at all–I had to look it up online. (He was raising awareness about deforestation and pollution on the Amazon, apparently.)
And the more I learned about how he accomplished this, the less impressed I was (wetsuit, fins, river was still slightly flooded so currents did the majority of the work for him, he wasn't smart enough to keep himself properly hydrated so the only real challenge came at the very last couple of miles where he didn't have the current doing all the work and was too dehydrated to move without his blood pressure skyrocketing into dangerous levels).
And the more I learned about how he accomplished this, the less impressed I was (wetsuit, fins, river was still slightly flooded so currents did the majority of the work for him, he wasn't smart enough to keep himself properly hydrated so the only real challenge came at the very last couple of miles where he didn't have the current doing all the work and was too dehydrated to move without his blood pressure skyrocketing into dangerous levels).
April 1, 2015
The book, The Man Who Swam The Amazon, is a narration of Martin's journey from the headwaters of the Amazon in Peru to its gaping mouth 3274 miles later at the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil. The narrator is Matthew Mohlke, himself a world class long-distance paddler, who joins Strel's support team for the 3rd time (the 2 others being his swim of the Paraná and the Mississippi).
Mohlke presents the journey in a day to day diary format. It's not just about the swimming, though. Mohlke offers raw insight into life pressed together with dozens of strangers in a boat for two months in the lawless, wild, hot, sticky, strange and disease ridden area of the world called the Amazon. From Strel's gruff, no bullshit attitude to raging cases of diarrhea to a lawless world ruled by pirates, Mohlke leaves all of Strel's record breaking swim on the 208 pages.
If you've ever craved adventure and have dreamed of pushing your body to it's limits, just to see if you can, this is a must-read book.
Mohlke presents the journey in a day to day diary format. It's not just about the swimming, though. Mohlke offers raw insight into life pressed together with dozens of strangers in a boat for two months in the lawless, wild, hot, sticky, strange and disease ridden area of the world called the Amazon. From Strel's gruff, no bullshit attitude to raging cases of diarrhea to a lawless world ruled by pirates, Mohlke leaves all of Strel's record breaking swim on the 208 pages.
If you've ever craved adventure and have dreamed of pushing your body to it's limits, just to see if you can, this is a must-read book.
March 7, 2011
This was a very interesting and inspiring story that was unfortunately not very well written. The book collects a series of two to four page diary entries glossing over the highlights of each day as the crew follows Mr. Strel on his amazing swim along the Amazon. Since the diary entries belong to one of the guides, the reader never has the opportunity to get into the actual swimmer's mind and therefore misses out on understanding his daily plight along the river. Instead, we are treated with surface level observations of the edges of the Amazon and a somewhat detached "inside look" at some of the politics facing the crew of this expedition - probably not the most interesting aspect of this story. Sadly, Mr. Mohlke’s account is a disappointment to an armchair adventurer like me.
December 22, 2023
The title is self-explanatory. Martin Strel swam from the river's source to its mouth, at an amazing pace of fifty to sixty miles per day. The true author of the book, Matthew Mohlke, served as one of his navigators. The book is written in journal form, covering the sights and sounds of the Amazon rainforests, the villages and cities and the people that inhabit them. Mohlke also details the physical and mental toll the swim takes on Strel, not to mention the rest of the 22-person crew along in support of his Guinness Book of World Records record setting event.
There are times I am simply embarrassed to be an American. Why did I never hear of this story? One would think that someone swimming the Amazon from end to end might have made headline news as it was happening. Perhaps it did. I missed it.
But that's not a surprise, really. Americans do not care about world events if a) they happen outside of the United States, and b) they do not involve Americans. Watch our nightly news. We'd rather - apparently - watch a ten-minute story about how a local news team exposed a political appointee who rigged a copier at the State House to register only one of two copies so that he could pocket the profit than learn about floods in China or unrest in an African country. Blissful ignorance of international concerns has pushed us into problems before, and will do so again (see Pearl Harbor, 9/11...).
Had Martin Strel been American, not Slovenian, I would have known he had pulled off his feat as it happened. It would have been all over the news, and he'd be on the front of a Wheaties box. In some ways, I envy the people of Slovenia who had the chance to follow his exploits as they happened. What a source of national pride it must have been.
But the greater theme of the book, for me, was posterity. What will we leave behind? Strel and Mohlke ask the question. If a slightly fat, slightly old man can swim the Amazon, what can you do? It's made me look deeply at what I've done and what I plan to do. I've worked for nonprofits all my life, fundraising, awareness raising for causes. I've written 34 books, most of which have done all of the above. And I have plenty of projects in the works. But, in the end, will I have truly done my part to improve the world? Will my effort have been a big enough deal?
Not Martin Strel big. What an inspiration. I have some thinking to do.
There are times I am simply embarrassed to be an American. Why did I never hear of this story? One would think that someone swimming the Amazon from end to end might have made headline news as it was happening. Perhaps it did. I missed it.
But that's not a surprise, really. Americans do not care about world events if a) they happen outside of the United States, and b) they do not involve Americans. Watch our nightly news. We'd rather - apparently - watch a ten-minute story about how a local news team exposed a political appointee who rigged a copier at the State House to register only one of two copies so that he could pocket the profit than learn about floods in China or unrest in an African country. Blissful ignorance of international concerns has pushed us into problems before, and will do so again (see Pearl Harbor, 9/11...).
Had Martin Strel been American, not Slovenian, I would have known he had pulled off his feat as it happened. It would have been all over the news, and he'd be on the front of a Wheaties box. In some ways, I envy the people of Slovenia who had the chance to follow his exploits as they happened. What a source of national pride it must have been.
But the greater theme of the book, for me, was posterity. What will we leave behind? Strel and Mohlke ask the question. If a slightly fat, slightly old man can swim the Amazon, what can you do? It's made me look deeply at what I've done and what I plan to do. I've worked for nonprofits all my life, fundraising, awareness raising for causes. I've written 34 books, most of which have done all of the above. And I have plenty of projects in the works. But, in the end, will I have truly done my part to improve the world? Will my effort have been a big enough deal?
Not Martin Strel big. What an inspiration. I have some thinking to do.
February 26, 2018
I am glad that I am starting my 2018 reading list with this insane/Crazy book.
Just to give you a context of what Martin did: Think for a moment of biking for 50 miles each day for 66 days, think of cycling the same distance for 66 days.
However, Martin did this distance while swimming and that's also Amazon where you have all the kinds of animals in water and then pirates on the top of it.
But, who can stop a man with a determination of a steel?
Before reading this book I thought Martin must be different or very privileged that he is able to achieve this feat, however, both of my misconceptions came to rest after reading this book and showed a different side of Martin which is disciplined and just focused to achieve this mission irrespective of anything.
Few of the things, which I would like to imbibe in my life from this book:
1. It's ok if you have to sacrifice few things, great achievements don't come so easily to people.
2. It's ok if people curse you for being different or that you are anti-social. On the contrary, there's actually not much fun to be a person like everyone else.
3. A team is very important as Martin may have achieved the same fate though team makes the job easy and is able to motivate you when you are in the true need.
4. If you are focussed you can actually achieve impossible things as well.
Just to give you a context of what Martin did: Think for a moment of biking for 50 miles each day for 66 days, think of cycling the same distance for 66 days.
However, Martin did this distance while swimming and that's also Amazon where you have all the kinds of animals in water and then pirates on the top of it.
But, who can stop a man with a determination of a steel?
Before reading this book I thought Martin must be different or very privileged that he is able to achieve this feat, however, both of my misconceptions came to rest after reading this book and showed a different side of Martin which is disciplined and just focused to achieve this mission irrespective of anything.
Few of the things, which I would like to imbibe in my life from this book:
1. It's ok if you have to sacrifice few things, great achievements don't come so easily to people.
2. It's ok if people curse you for being different or that you are anti-social. On the contrary, there's actually not much fun to be a person like everyone else.
3. A team is very important as Martin may have achieved the same fate though team makes the job easy and is able to motivate you when you are in the true need.
4. If you are focussed you can actually achieve impossible things as well.
March 5, 2018
Best summed up in two words: squandered potential.
The writer/s achieved the feat of turning a very interesting premise into a sleep-inducing string of insipid, uninspired day-to-day travelogue. I soldiered on to page 50 but can't take it anymore -- more of the hum-drum observations of Matthew Mohlke. Little to no insights about Martin Strehl, what's on his head, what keeps him swimming, what causes is he fighting for. Writing with no depth, no soul. Besides being badly written, this book offers no illumination on the swimmer.
Well, it's hard to take a writer seriously when his priority/preoccupation is where to sleep on the boat. Unimaginable that a multi-million dollar expedition gets to commission a non-writer to write a book; what could be an exciting, eye-opening read turns out to be a book destined for the trash. Would've given this a no star rating here at Goodreads if it were possible. (If there was a Badreads counterpart, I think this book should be at home there.)
The writer/s achieved the feat of turning a very interesting premise into a sleep-inducing string of insipid, uninspired day-to-day travelogue. I soldiered on to page 50 but can't take it anymore -- more of the hum-drum observations of Matthew Mohlke. Little to no insights about Martin Strehl, what's on his head, what keeps him swimming, what causes is he fighting for. Writing with no depth, no soul. Besides being badly written, this book offers no illumination on the swimmer.
Well, it's hard to take a writer seriously when his priority/preoccupation is where to sleep on the boat. Unimaginable that a multi-million dollar expedition gets to commission a non-writer to write a book; what could be an exciting, eye-opening read turns out to be a book destined for the trash. Would've given this a no star rating here at Goodreads if it were possible. (If there was a Badreads counterpart, I think this book should be at home there.)
May 28, 2020
Martin Strel - crazy, Slavic guy intent on swimming some of the longest rivers on earth. This time, the Amazon. He started in a smallish Peruvian town and swam hours and hours and hours every day, 66 to be exact and 3,274 miles to reach the Atlantic.
Along the way, he encountered some really lovely little fish that enter any orifice they can, put in a barb of some sort and generally seem to be with you for ever more. Charming.
Crazy, weird guy, but one has to admire his tenacity and commitment. Likeable in an odd sort of way, but his personality is absolutely no comparison to Sean Conway, the fella who swam from Land's End to John O'Groats, in Scotland, all the way along the English/Scottish coastline.
Along the way, he encountered some really lovely little fish that enter any orifice they can, put in a barb of some sort and generally seem to be with you for ever more. Charming.
Crazy, weird guy, but one has to admire his tenacity and commitment. Likeable in an odd sort of way, but his personality is absolutely no comparison to Sean Conway, the fella who swam from Land's End to John O'Groats, in Scotland, all the way along the English/Scottish coastline.
August 13, 2021
Great Story, terribly written!!!
The writer talked to much about himself and not enough about the Swimmer Martin. He was not good at identifying the people in the trip with him . Told very little about The layout of The boat . Told nothing about the swimmers back ground . I hope Martin writes his own book m his own words. Then his story will really be told. Very disappointing book. With such an amazing subject. So badly written
The writer talked to much about himself and not enough about the Swimmer Martin. He was not good at identifying the people in the trip with him . Told very little about The layout of The boat . Told nothing about the swimmers back ground . I hope Martin writes his own book m his own words. Then his story will really be told. Very disappointing book. With such an amazing subject. So badly written
July 4, 2018
Very inspiring and an interesting chronicle of Strel's record-breaking swim. I did find that some entries were pretty repetitive and there were many grammatical errors. But overall, I enjoyed the book.
May 8, 2020
A book which talks about resilience..amazing..
July 19, 2020
Nice story of a wonderful swimming adventure.
February 4, 2021
Impressive feat. Sadly, unimpressive writing.
June 11, 2024
Interesting read on incredible river swim, no near death moments which for the reader is less thrilling. Best bit is saving that poor sloth.
September 10, 2024
Enjoyable book on the story of a swimmer who swam the length of the Amazon River.
Easy to read & an amazing story of human endurance.
Easy to read & an amazing story of human endurance.
April 13, 2025
The story is more about the drudgery of such a swim, and a little light on the adventure front. Mildly interesting.
July 26, 2025
inspiring, mesmerizing
February 9, 2015
Unfortunately I feel like this book really under uses it's potential. The underlying fact of a man swimming the length of the amazon is astonishing and should be an easy and engaging topic. Instead we have a rather humdrum account of the privations of a long remote voyage told with little consideration of what the reader would want to know.
There is so much that could be in this: insight in to Martin Strel's technique and psycology of the endurance athlete; descriptions of the amazon, it's wildlife and indigenous people, the politics of South America and poverty, not to mention the reasons this man chose to do this. All of this is glossed over with occasional one sentence throwaway comments, whilst the bulk of the text seems to focus on gastric disturbances and fluid intake. I suppose it in that respect it is at least probably true to the inconveniences of such an expedition but the moments that make it all worth it aren't in this.
The best parts of this book are the afterword and the acknowledgements - here there is real inspiration and an appreciation for the magnitude of this mans accomplishment.
I would still watch the film though as the story here has the potential to be fascinating and I want to see if it does a better job.
There is so much that could be in this: insight in to Martin Strel's technique and psycology of the endurance athlete; descriptions of the amazon, it's wildlife and indigenous people, the politics of South America and poverty, not to mention the reasons this man chose to do this. All of this is glossed over with occasional one sentence throwaway comments, whilst the bulk of the text seems to focus on gastric disturbances and fluid intake. I suppose it in that respect it is at least probably true to the inconveniences of such an expedition but the moments that make it all worth it aren't in this.
The best parts of this book are the afterword and the acknowledgements - here there is real inspiration and an appreciation for the magnitude of this mans accomplishment.
I would still watch the film though as the story here has the potential to be fascinating and I want to see if it does a better job.
March 5, 2018
Best summed up in two words: squandered potential.
The writer/s achieved the feat of turning a very interesting premise into a sleep-inducing string of insipid, uninspired day-to-day travelogue. I soldiered on to page 50 but can't take it anymore -- more of the hum-drum observations of Matthew Mohlke. Little to no insights about Martin Strehl, what's on his head, what keeps him swimming, what causes is he fighting for. Writing with no depth, no soul. Besides being badly written, this book offers no illumination on the swimmer.
Well, it's hard to take a writer seriously when his priority/preoccupation is where to sleep on the boat. Unimaginable that a multi-million dollar expedition gets to commission a non-writer to write a book; what could be an exciting, eye-opening read turns out to be a book destined for the trash. Would've given this a no star rating here at Goodreads if it were possible. (If there was a Badreads counterpart, I think this book should be at home there.)
The writer/s achieved the feat of turning a very interesting premise into a sleep-inducing string of insipid, uninspired day-to-day travelogue. I soldiered on to page 50 but can't take it anymore -- more of the hum-drum observations of Matthew Mohlke. Little to no insights about Martin Strehl, what's on his head, what keeps him swimming, what causes is he fighting for. Writing with no depth, no soul. Besides being badly written, this book offers no illumination on the swimmer.
Well, it's hard to take a writer seriously when his priority/preoccupation is where to sleep on the boat. Unimaginable that a multi-million dollar expedition gets to commission a non-writer to write a book; what could be an exciting, eye-opening read turns out to be a book destined for the trash. Would've given this a no star rating here at Goodreads if it were possible. (If there was a Badreads counterpart, I think this book should be at home there.)
September 25, 2013
I wasn't sure what I was in for when I started reading about Martin Strel but, after only a few pages, I felt swept up in his adventure down the Amazon. The author, Martin's trusted river guide, is so open about the experience that it becomes easy to picture yourself right beside them, feeling both exhilaration and terror. Much more than just a long swim, his world-record breaking journey took him through multiple countries, cultures and crises. His resolve to continue on despite a myriad of dangers and ailments was, by far, one of the most inspiring things I have ever read. Anytime I find myself tempted to give up I will remember Martin Strel.
February 13, 2009
Having grown up on a River, the relatively tame Ohio River, I enjoy river stories. The Amazon is certainly a world away from the Ohio. This is an enjoyable account(diary/log book) of an amazing accomplishment. Swimming in a river where one can be eaten by predators large or small is crazy. Swimming 3,274 under any circumstances is also crazy. What can you say about a person who does both. Crazy and inspirational. One more proof about the amazing things we humans can do when we intently focus. A quick, addictive read.
October 26, 2012
i think the book was very intresting and it kept me hooked the whole time reading, i recommend this to anyone who likes a good adventure book. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars cause it was a easy read and I enjoyed it but there some parts like the begining that could be more intresting. I enjoyed the speed of the book, there were not any slow parts. One part i didnt car for was the very first part of it when it was least boring. Any one who like adventure should read this book because its filled with action plus a journey you feel your on.
November 10, 2008
This book wasn't quite as good as I expected it to be. I was expecting to learn more about Martin Strel, the incredible swimmer, but was let down at the sparse background story. It also seemed that the book was quickly written so that it could be released just as Strel finished his record breaking swim. This can be seen in the many grammatical errors. Overall it was an interesting and inspiring story but I wish that there would have been more focus on the swimmer instead of the expedition.
December 19, 2011
Although this is not the most well-written book, just reading about Martin Strel's swimming feat is pretty amazing in & of itself. I'm in awe of Strel. I wish the book had been told from Strel's point-of-view rather than from the POV of someone alongside him. Some of the author's diary-like entries get repetitive in their descriptions. Even so, I continued reading to find out about Strel & am amazed by his journey.
February 16, 2013
Very interesting and fun to read, but it's a journal and just that. No writing that inspired, but I loved hearing the real life stories. No glam or cover to it. I love stories of swimmers and this one was an incredible feat. I still can't fathom swimming 60-70 miles in a day and waking up to do that day after day after day. I was a little disappointed to read that he was swimming with fins, but for the amount of mileage he made, I'll allow it.
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