Dave "Dinger" Bell, an ex‑Royal Marine, has spent 323 days alone at sea after leaving Peru on 9 November in an attempt to row unsupported across both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. His route covers more than 15,000 nautical miles, and he paused for eight weeks to avoid cyclone season. Bell has faced sharks, extreme tides, and storm damage that cost him two oars, but with under 300 miles to his planned landfall at Kilifi, he remains hopeful. The expedition has raised over £70,000 for Rock2Recovery and aims to set a world distance record.
323 Days Alone At Sea: Ex‑Royal Marine Nears Historic Two‑Ocean Row
Dave 'Dinger' Bell has already been at sea for 323 days [Dave 'Dinger' Bell]
Dave "Dinger" Bell, a former Royal Marine from Bere Regis, Dorset, is on the brink of completing an extraordinary solo and unsupported row across two oceans. Having departed the west coast of Peru on 9 November, he has now been at sea for 323 days and aims to land near Kilifi, Kenya, within days.
Bell had to stop rowing in the Pacific to avoid catching up with cyclones [Dave 'Dinger' Bell]
Epic Route And Record Ambition
Bell's journey has stretched more than 15,000 nautical miles, taking him across the Pacific, through the Coral Sea and past the Great Barrier Reef, via the Torres Strait and along the north coast of Australia before he entered the Indian Ocean. He says his goal is to become the first person to row two full oceans, continent‑to‑continent, a feat he believes would set a world distance record.
Bell said the Torres Straight had been challenging [Dave 'Dinger' Bell]
Challenges At Sea
He set off with 350 days of provisions aboard a 240kg carbon‑fibre boat and has faced extreme conditions: weeks of being trailed by sharks (including a six‑week spell with three ocean whitetips), tidal and current forcing him into marathon rowing shifts, and violent swells that damaged his vessel. Tidal conditions in the Torres Strait forced 16‑hour rowing days for a 10‑day run, leaving only brief windows for maintenance, communications and rest.
Bell's boat was followed by sharks for weeks at a time [Dave 'Dinger' Bell]
"To sit, mid‑ocean, knowing you've still got seven, eight, nine months at sea but not be rowing was one of the hardest things, psychologically, that I've ever had to deal with," Bell told BBC Radio Solent.
Equipment Losses And Comebacks
About 1,000 nautical miles from his intended finish, a huge swell ripped an oar from the boat and snapped a spare stored above it, leaving him with two usable oars. Despite the damage and the psychological strain—he has described moments when he felt "everything was slipping away"—Bell remains determined and hopeful with under 300 miles to go.
Technology, Motivation And Charity
Bell has credited modern advances—lighter hull materials, more efficient solar panels and improved autopilot systems—for making the attempt conceivable after his 2021 Atlantic crossing from New York to Newlyn, Cornwall. He is using the expedition to raise funds for Rock2Recovery, a charity that supports veterans and emergency workers with PTSD; the appeal has already raised over £70,000.
What Comes Next: If he reaches the Kenyan coast as planned, Bell's double‑ocean, solo and unsupported row will set a distinctive benchmark in endurance rowing and long‑distance ocean exploration.
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