How to Survive 90 Days Completely Alone in the Ocean
transcript
show notes
Cyril Derreumaux holds three Guinness World Records, and each one is its own kind of insane. In 2016, he and a crew of three other men set a record for the fastest ocean rowing crossing from California to Hawaii, finishing in 39 days. In 2022, he went back completely alone in a kayak he built himself and became the first person to cross that same distance 100% human powered, solo, and unsupported. Then in 2025, he crossed the Atlantic in 71 days, becoming the first person in history to solo kayak two different oceans.
In this episode, Cyril takes us back to where it all started, backpacking around the world alone at 25 with just $7,000 and a one year plane ticket. He tells us how that trip turned him from a tourist into a traveler, and how it planted the seed for the life he lives now. Then we get into how he went from never having kayaked in his life to captaining a rowing crew across the Pacific, and why that wasn't enough for him.
We get into exactly how he survived 90 days completely alone in the middle of the ocean, the routine that kept him alive while sleeping through the night with cargo ships passing just miles away, what actually happens to your mind after weeks with no human contact, and the moment during his crossing that he says changed how he thinks about God. He also opens up about his grandfather, who escaped Nazi occupied France on foot during World War II, and how that story has pushed Cyril toward hardship his entire life.
This is a story about pushing past what you think a normal person is capable of, on land and at sea. Cyril is proof that the line is much further out than you'd expect. Let's dive in!
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KEYWORDS
ocean rowing, solo kayak crossing, guinness world record, california to hawaii kayak, pacific ocean crossing, atlantic ocean crossing, adventure podcast, ultra endurance, human powered expedition, motivational speaker, solo expedition, ocean adventurer, kayaking hawaii, first person to cross two oceans solo, extreme adventure, mental toughness, spirituality and adventure, kindred roads podcast, mary goggin podcast
