Slovenian Martin Strel plans to swim 3,375 miles down the world’s greatest river, defying piranhas, snakes, crocodiles and even sharks.
Buckets of animal blood will be loaded onto support boats to distract flesh-eating fish and reptiles during the 52-year-old’s 70-day odyssey — which would break his own world length record for a swim.
Strel starts on February 1 in Peru’s jungle town of Atalaya and hopes to finish on Brazil’s Atlantic coast on April 11.
Towards the end of his journey “for world peace and environment,” Strel will face another challenge — a tidal bore, or wave, about 13 feet high, known as the Pororoca.
This journey down the world’s most voluminous river will be nearly 1,500 km (930 miles) longer than the Yangtze swim — his current world record set in 2004.
The feat will be broadcast live over the Internet (www.amazonswim.com)