AMMAN, June 14, 2012 (AFP)
AMMAN, June 14, 2012 (AFP)
A disabled Frenchman who has lost all of his limbs on Thursday postponed plans to swim across the Red Sea from Egypt’s Taba to Aqaba in Jordan because of bad weather, trip organisers said.
Using prosthetic limbs with flippers attached, Philippe Croizon, 44, had initially planned to swim the 25-kilometre (15.5-mile) Red Sea stretch on Friday as part of a global challenge.
“The plan has been postponed until Thursday, June 21 because of inclement weather and strong wind,” GMT Voyages said in a short statement.
On May 17, Croizon swam from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, in the first part of a mission to complete five arduous swims between continents.
Croizon, who swam the English Channel in 2010, has set out on his aquatic journey across the globe to highlight the abilities of disabled people, and to convey a message of peace and solidarity.
He had to have all four limbs amputated after he was electrocuted by a current of more than 20,000 volts in 1994 as he tried to remove a TV antenna from a roof.
In July, he plans to swim between Europe and Africa by traversing the Strait of Gibraltar. And in August, he will swim between the islands of Big Diomede in Russia and Little Diomede in the United States.
