Hua Hin expat postpones attempt to cross the Gulf. On a paddle board!
A Russian living in Hua Hin is attempting to cross the Gulf of Thailand. And he’s not going on the daily ferry. His mode of transport is just a paddle board.
Vladimir Kruchinin was scheduled to depart on Monday from the shores of Pattaya, according to his Facebook page.
“Exciting times at 4am for the start of our Pattaya to Hua Hin crossing… but it was not to be with technical difficulties with the support boat… back for another attempt soon!”
37 year old Vladimir will navigate the 110 kilometres across the Gulf of Thailand from Pattaya to Hua Hin using just his stand up paddle board. Bad weather on Monday forced him to postpone his initial departure date. He says he first started paddle boarding in 2016 and became hooked after renting a board from a resort at Sam Roi Yot beach.
“At that moment, I fell in love with stand up paddle boarding and within a week I had my own first board”, Vladimir told Thaivisa.
He told Thaivisa how he has lived in Hua Hin with his wife and son since 2012.
“Since that time, the sport plays a major role in my life. Thanks to SUP, I have improved my physique, have discovered many interesting places and have found new friends”.
“Usually in the daytime, I travel around 20 to 40 kms. When you are surrounded by such beautiful scenery in Thailand, a long way doesn’t seem so far. The first time I paddled over 70 km in one day, I realised that much greater lengths were possible.
“I had a dream of crossing the Gulf of Thailand from Pattaya to Hua Hin. At first, I was scared at the thought, but now I am determined to do it. The path will take me across about 110 km. I’m yet to achieve such distances in a day but I believe I am capable”.
You can follow Vladimir’s progress HERE.
SOURCE: ThaiVisa
