First person to paddleboard across the Pacific Ocean: Meet Antonio de la Rosa

Antonio de la Rosa has become the first person to cross the Pacific Ocean by paddleboard.

The Spanish endurance athlete travelled more than 2,500 miles (4,023km) from San Francisco in the US to Honolulu in Hawaii, using just a paddle and his own strength.

Setting off from California on 9 June, he made the trip in 76 days - even celebrating his 50th birthday at sea!

Antonio paddled up to ten hours each day, on his journey to highlight the problem of plastic pollution in the world's oceans.

The paddleboarder said he saw plastic nets and other rubbish floating past him on a daily basis during his epic trip.

He said: "I keep seeing every day some plastic packaging and remains of fishing nets. There is no day that I do not locate some plastic floating.

"We need to change things as soon as possible."

Antonio propelled himself across the ocean using some serious muscle power and a specially-designed craft - a combination of paddleboard and small boat.

The paddleboarder was able to sleep at night but needed to wake every hour to check he was heading in the right direction.

He used solar panels to power his GPS radio and computer, which allowed him to track his location and keep in touch with his family.

The special paddleboard also had a sleeping area and equipment to remove salt from sea water, turning it into drinking water.

He packed enough freeze-dried food to last the three months aboard, but caught some fish along the way too.

Antonio got knocked off course slightly by Hurricane Flossie, which hit the Pacific in early August, but luckily it soon passed.

Talking about the storm, he said: "I had to overcome some difficult currents when I left San Francisco, wind sources that pushed me south, several hurricanes that have passed me close, great waves that shook my small boat as if it were a washing machine, sleepless nights, heat and humidity.

"But I am here, I have succeeded."

It's not the first time Antonio has taken a big solo trip to sea!

In 2014, he rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in 64 days beating 17 other competitors, and in 2016 he paddleboarded his way through the Arctic Circle.

The athlete says he is already thinking about his next expedition which will probably be on land, somewhere cold.

"I love this kind of life," he told Hawaii News Now. "I saw the curve of the world. Every year I think, 'Okay. What I do next year?'"

We'd love to know what you think about his latest mission! Let us know in the comments below.