A British rower is battling 40ft waves, agonising salt sores and relentless storms in a gruelling bid to smash two world records crossing the Indian Ocean.
Lara Vafiadis, 36, has spent more than two months at sea after setting off from Australia with three fellow rowers.
The crew have already capsized and endured severe storms and baking tropical heat – with no support boat or chance to resupply.
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They are attempting to become the first mixed crew to row continent-to-continent from Australia to Africa, as reported by What sThe Jam.
Lara and fellow rower Susannah Cass, 37, are also hoping to become the first women to complete the crossing.
But life aboard their tiny 28ft boat Monkey Fist is brutal.
The four row around the clock in two-hour shifts, spending two hours at the oars followed by just two hours off.
There is no plumbing or home comforts and the crew survive on freeze-dried meals while battling painful sores caused by constant exposure to salt water.
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Lara, from Malvern, Worcestershire, said: “It’s a mind-bending contrast between endless horizon and absolute claustrophobia.
“Looking out at 360 degrees of deep, empty ocean makes you feel impossibly small – it’s deeply humbling.
“But inside Monkey Fist, your world shrinks down to the immediate grind: rowing on a 24/7 schedule of two hours on, two hours off, living without luxury or plumbing, managing salt sores, and eating freeze-dried food out of a pouch.
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“When the sun goes down and you’re floating over miles of ocean in pitch darkness, it’s both terrifying and breathtaking.”
Lara is joined by Billy Taylor, 54, Glyn Roberts, 46, and Susannah.
They set off from Carnarvon in Western Australia on 11 July and hope to reach Africa by the end of September.
Lara said: “The Indian Ocean is infamous for a reason – it’s unpredictable, volatile, and brutally isolated.
“Navigating 40-foot swells and tropical heat with zero follow boat or resupply is one of the last great, uncompleted ocean challenges on Earth.
“We didn’t want a standard crossing; we wanted a route that demands absolute focus and respect.”
The challenge, dubbed Brain Waves 2026, has already pushed the four rowers to their limits.
Lara said: “We’ve faced everything the Indian Ocean can throw at us – a full capsize, severe weather storms, relentless baking heat, and painful salt sores that make every movement a battle.
“But every setback is a lesson.”
The epic crossing is raising money for Rock2Recovery, which provides trauma and PTSD coaching to military veterans and first responders, and Race Against Dementia, which funds research into the disease.
The crew are also using Monkey Fist as a floating laboratory to collect marine environmental data.
Starlink allows them to broadcast from the middle of the ocean into school classrooms around the world in a bid to get youngsters interested in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Lara said friends and family thought the team were “completely crazy” when they revealed their plans.
But she added: “We want to prove that four ordinary humans can come together, step outside their comfort zones, and accomplish something truly extraordinary.
“It’s a brutal daily grind, but showing what ordinary people can overcome for causes like Rock2Recovery and Race Against Dementia makes every wave worth it.”
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