Philippe Croizon, a Frenchman who lost his limbs in an accident, has completed the first part of his challenge to swim between five continents.
Philippe Croizon swam from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia with long-distance swimmer Arnaud Chassery and a local man who joined them to show his support.
He uses prosthetic limbs with flippers attached and took seven-and-a-half hours to swim the stretch.
“It was very, very hard,” he said after the event, which involved crossing 20 km (12 miles) between two points on New Guinea island which is shared between the two countries.
“It took us an hour-and-a-half more than we expected because we had to swim against the currents,” he said.
Philippe Croizon swam from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia with long-distance swimmer Arnaud Chassery and a local man who joined them to show his support
He said they did not come across any sharks or jellyfish, but were joined by a Papua New Guinean man named Zet Tampa, who swam with them to show solidarity, Philippe Croizon tweeted.
The swim had been postponed as Philippe Croizon waited for a permit to enter Indonesia, which he received late on Wednesday.
Philippe Croizon lost his limbs 18 years ago while adjusting a TV aerial on a roof.
In 1994, he lost his limbs after receiving an electric charge of 20,000 volts which fused him to the metal ladder on which he was standing.
Philippe Croizon would have been killed instantly – but another massive electric charge snapped him back to life, although he was so seriously burnt that both his arms and his legs had to be amputated.
He says he was inspired to swim while in hospital. He saw a documentary on television about an Englishwoman who had swum the English Channel earlier that year.
In 2010, Philippe Croizon became the first limbless man to cross the 34 km Channel between France and England – a feat that had only been achieved by some 900 other, able-bodied, swimmers.
The other crossings Philippe Croizon has planned are: the shark-infested Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan to the Egyptian coast in June (the Asia to Africa stretch); the busy shipping straits between Gibraltar and Morocco in July; and the icy Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia in August.
[youtube koNjVtoTfoU]
A British-Indian team of scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of limbless amphibian.
The animal was identified by accident in the Western Ghats area in the state of Kerala, South India.
The specimens were found inside moist soil after digging the shrub-covered bank of a mountain stream.
The creature – about 168 mm in length and pink in color – belongs to an enigmatic, limbless group of amphibians known as the caecilians.
Ramachandran Kotharambath, lead author of the report, said the animal was identified as a new species following extensive comparisons with other, similar examples from this amphibian group.
According to the researchers, specimens of the novel caecilian – named Gegeneophis primus – were collected during field works in two consecutive monsoons, first in October 2010 and then in August 2011.
They were discovered at a valley on a plantation in the Wynad district of Kerala.
The creature, about 168 mm in length and pink in color, belongs to an enigmatic, limbless group of amphibians known as the caecilians
The new finding was made as part of a longstanding research collaboration between the department of zoology at the University of Kerala and London’s Natural History Museum. The Central University at Kasargod in Kerala also contributed to the discovery.
The finding has been reported in the latest edition of the academic journal Zootaxa.
The wider distribution, natural history and habitat preferences of the species are yet to be determined.
The discovery of this species indicates that the caecilian amphibians might have great diversity all along the Western Ghats area said Ramachandran Kotharambath.
“The discovery on a plantation points out that these elusive animals are very vulnerable to anthropogenic activities and are living silently right under our feet,” he explained.
The new species do not face any immediate threat as long as the habitat structure is maintained, according to the scientists.
They also say that they need to know how far and wide this species is distributed and what are the habitat requirements.
Though these tiny amphibians are at least safe now, any major modification in the plantation structure could dangerously affect the species survival, said Ramachandran Kotharambath.
Co-author Dr. Oommen says the discovery was significant since the finding ended a hiatus of almost half-a-century.
“It highlights the fact that the knowledge of caecilian amphibians of the Western Ghats remains incomplete and in need of further study.”
Nick Vujicic, a limbless motivational speaker from California, and his new wife spent their honeymoon on a beach in Hawaii.
Nick Vujicic, 29, was born with no limbs, a crippling disability that meant he had little hope of ever living a normal life.
Tetra-amelia syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by the absence of both arms and legs.
Nick Vujicic was born to Serbian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia, but the couple now lives in California.
Nick Vujicic, a limbless motivational speaker from California, and his new wife spent their honeymoon on a beach in Hawaii
Now a best-selling author, Nick Vujicic suffered from depression as a child, but as he got older he eventually began to embrace his disability.
The teen mastered life’s daily tasks and went on to show that he can do everything that able bodied people can do-including writing, typing, play drums, brush his teeth.
Now a best-selling author, Nick Vujicic suffered from depression as a child, but as he got older he eventually began to embrace his disability
Aged 17, Nick Vujicic began giving talks at a church group and went on to found a non-profit to use his experience to help others.
In 2005 Nick Vujicic was nominated for the “Young Australian of the Year” Award.
But the preacher and author of “Life Without Limbs” has now found true happiness – he last week got married.
And today, the bestselling author and his beautiful new wife Kanae Miyahara, were seen having the time of their lives, as they began married life in Hawaii.
The agile Nick Vujicic had no difficulty taking using his camera to take photos of his stunning bride.
The couple got engaged in August and married on February 10th in California.
On Nick Vujicic’s Facebook page, congratulatory remarks poured in from fans from around the world. He has addressed over three million people in 25 countries.
[youtube SjbX6mDnMwM]
