A French swimmer has set off from Japan aiming to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean.
He faces dangers including sharks, storms, swarms of jellyfish, and extremely low water temperatures.
He is hoping to raise awareness for climate change, and a team of scientists will conduct research during the 5,500 mile (9,000 km) swim.
Ben Lecomte, who lives in the US, has been preparing with hours of open water swimming every day. He has also practised "visualisation and dissociation" exercises to ensure he is mentally ready.
"The mental part is much more important than the physical," he told AFP news agency. "You have to make sure you always think about something positive."
"When you don't have anything to occupy your mind it goes into kind of a spiral, and that's when trouble starts," he says.
Preparations for the trip have taken more than six years, but Mr Lecomte has been targeting the challenge for much longer.
More than six years of preparations have lead to this moment. Finally really to start my swim across the Pacific Ocean. #theswim #benlecomtetheswim watch the live stream of my departure on @Seeker Facebook. @Discovery
In 1998, he made the first known solo trans-Atlantic swim covering 6,400km (4,000 miles) in 73 days. When he finally reached dry land in France, his first words were "never again", but he was soon looking for a new challenge.
"It didn't take that long for me to change my mind," he told NPR. "Three, four months afterwards I was already thinking about my next adventure and doing something kind of the same."
Ben Lecomte @BenLecomteSwim
‘If you ever wondered what a Costco receipt looks like for 6 months worth of food for 10 people, this isn’t it. This is just a fraction of it... but, the good news is we finally completed our final food run today!‘ #theswim #benlecomte
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