Shamsher, the holder of China’s marine canoeing exploration record, has set off once again. At 2:00 PM on the 13th, he arrived at Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port carrying luggage weighing 40 kilograms, boarding a boat to Hong Kong. He plans to take an early morning flight from Hong Kong to Taiwan the next day. This trip is preparation for his attempt to cross the Taiwan Strait next year.
Shamsher, 40, whose real name is Li Huacan, has been engaged in canoeing for seven years. In the first half of this year, he spent 64 days completing a Pearl River drifting expedition of over 2,400 kilometers.
Light rain was falling at Jiuzhou Port as Shamsher spoke to a reporter from China News Service: “This trip to Taiwan is a preliminary step toward crossing the Taiwan Strait. There are two goals: one is to complete the Taiwan leg of my planned 15,000-kilometer circumnavigation of the Western Pacific by canoe, and the other is to test ocean current speeds and collect hydrological data in the Taiwan Strait for reference during next year’s crossing.”
During this trip to Taiwan, Shamsher will stay at sea for 11 days — two days will be used to test current speeds, and the other nine will involve paddling 300 kilometers of the Taiwan leg under human power alone.
“As one of the most challenging straits in the world,” said Shamsher, “the Taiwan Strait is treacherous due to the Kuroshio Current — fast and turbulent waters that flow over a seabed that shifts from deep to shallow, often creating whirlpools. The strait narrows as it goes, increasing water pressure and speeding up the current. The combination of rapid flows and eddies makes the Taiwan Strait extremely dangerous. Aside from natural hazards, it’s said there are hundreds of shark species in the strait, including dozens that are aggressive.”
He believes that a human-powered, unsupported canoe crossing of the Taiwan Strait “is a significant endeavor both for myself and for the Chinese nation.”
Shamsher has planned a circumnavigation of the Western Pacific by canoe, a 15,000-kilometer journey. Having already completed 3,000 kilometers through places like Thailand and Cambodia, he hopes to finish the entire route within ten years.
When asked why it will take ten years to complete this uncharted canoe route, Shamsher explained: “Firstly, because it is a high-difficulty, high-risk, and high-cost journey. All necessary elements — information, experience, skills, procedures — have to be figured out and overcome on my own, with no prior references. Secondly, the financial cost is enormous, and it takes a lot of time to raise the funds.”
Speaking of expedition funding, Shamsher answered frankly: “Right now, I rely on money saved from work to complete these routes in segments. After working for a period, I assess how much I’ve saved and decide which part of the route I can support next.”