I am a man in my early 30s who can swim a bit.

I have been swimming since elementary school in Korea, successfully completed the Han River Cross Swimming Challenge, and I also have a scuba diving certification.

The feeling of all the worries washing away when you enter the water, those who know it will understand.

One day, a very strange yet appealing thought suddenly came to me.

"Isn't it possible to swim across the Atlantic?"

So I decided to seriously explore this question. I had a strong dream about it.

The Atlantic Ocean has an average width of about 4,830km, and even the narrowest distance between Senegal and Brazil is over 2,800km.

If I swim 10km a day, it would take at least 285 days, and that's ignoring waves, sharks, currents, storms, jellyfish, food, and stamina.

So I did some research... and there really is someone who swam across the Atlantic.

His name is Benoît Lecomte, a long-distance swimmer born in France.

In 1998, he swam approximately 3,700 miles (about 5,950km) from Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA, to Quiberon on the Brittany coast of France in 73 days.

He swam an average of 6 to 8 hours a day, and the rest of the time he rested on a yacht.

"Oh? So it wasn't non-stop?" That's correct. But the important thing is that he started again from the last point he got out of the water every day.

He swam 'honestly' while tracking his location with GPS and a support boat.

This challenge was part of a fundraising campaign in honor of his father's battle with cancer, and its meaning and symbolism are enough to be revered.

However, while Lecomte's challenge was an amazing record, the exact distance he swam purely by swimming has not been officially confirmed.

His record used the 'stage swimming' method (sleeping out of the water every day and re-entering from that point), but it is highly likely that he moved some kilometers with the help of currents and boats, which is why it could not be officially certified by Guinness World Records.

Nevertheless, this level of challenge is astonishing, and many oceanographers, environmental organizations, and swimmers remember his challenge as 'legendary.'

Now, let's return to me.

At 30 years old, with a healthy physique, swimming 8km a day is easy for me, and I am accustomed to swimming in seawater from my military days. I have been told that my mental strength is quite strong.

However, no matter how confident I am, the Atlantic is the ocean. Ultimately, not only physical strength but also continuous psychological control and the organization of a support team are necessary.

Lecomte did not do it alone either. He challenged with a 40-foot yacht, a Shark POD electronic shark repellent device, a GPS tracking system, and a full medical team.

Lecomte did not just swim. He remembered his father through swimming and conveyed a significant message about overcoming cancer and ocean protection to the world.

His challenge was not just a record but a 'meaning,' a march in the water that moved people's hearts.

After crossing the Atlantic, he attempted to swim across the Pacific in 2018.

He tried to swim about 8,000km from Japan to San Francisco, but it was interrupted due to a typhoon and equipment damage.

Nevertheless, he collected various data on plastic waste, radiation, and changes in marine ecology during this attempt, contributing to academia.

"Can you swim across the Atlantic?"

The answer is this: theoretically, it is possible. But realistically, you have to risk your life to create that possibility.

Challenging the Atlantic just because you can swim is as far-fetched as saying you can achieve a triple-double in the NBA just because you play basketball a bit.

But imagination is free, and sometimes that imagination can make life shine a little brighter.

Today, I also imagine crossing my own Atlantic while swimming 60 laps in a 25m pool.

Someday, I will cross at least the Atlantic in my heart.