site.btaRowing Across Oceans: Stefan Ivanov's Next Challenge and a Dream Beyond the Horizon

Bulgarian ocean rower Stefan Ivanov, known for his superhuman endurance and achievements, told BTA on Sunday that together with Dutchman Ralph Tuijn, Ukrainian Evgeniy Sudyr, and Chinese Liu Yong, he plans to row across the Indian Ocean.

Ivanov noted that despite the devastating storm that hit Mayotte in the Indian Ocean at the end of last year, their upcoming rowing expedition from the western coast of Australia in three months' time is expected to avoid cyclone season.

In May, June, and July, cyclones are not expected in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, but the ocean should not be underestimated. No ocean should be underestimated, Ivanov repeated.

"This time, I hope we have chosen the right season, unlike in the Atlantic, where we rowed during hurricane season and encountered four tropical storms and one hurricane," he said. In 2020, Ivanov and his son, Maxim, built the boat Neverest and became the first to row across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west entirely during hurricane season. For Ivanov, taking on new endurance challenges has become a passion. Despite not swimming until the age of 39, in 2011, he successfully swam the English Channel. Although he only took up rowing at 47 for the Neverest expedition, he won a gold medal at the World Rowing Masters Regatta in Libourne, France, in 2022 in the mixed double sculls event with his coach Victoria Dimitrova—despite it being his first-ever rowing competition.

In 2023, Ivanov undertook a self-supported voyage in the Southern Ocean, retracing Shackleton's path from Antarctica. In 2024, he embarked on another expedition, this time joined again by Maxim, to complete a full Arctic Ocean crossing by rowing from southern Norway to Svalbard. The rowing relay also included South African Cameron Bellamy, who had previously recounted to Ivanov his own experience rowing the Indian Ocean with a five-member crew. Their boat was constantly getting turned broadside to the waves and wind. For much of the time, they were at risk of capsizing. They had to deploy sea anchors several times a day to keep the boat on course. "So, no ocean should be underestimated—we must be more vigilant than ever," Ivanov said.

Beware of Jaws!

Ivanov noted the increased presence of sharks in the Indian Ocean compared to the Atlantic. "After several weeks at sea, let alone a few months, small crustaceans start accumulating on the bottom of the boat, significantly slowing it down. It is like riding a cart with tires slowly deflating one by one—you have to get in the water and scrape them off. And when you know sharks might be around, it is far from a pleasant feeling. As Max [Ivanov’s son Maxim] used to say: ‘I spend 80% of my time looking around and 20% cleaning.’ This time, we may need to be 90% on the lookout and only 10% cleaning," he said.

The rowers observed that "sharks usually circle the boat from a distance, make a few rounds, and often lose interest. Other times, they decide to attack—like in one of Ralph Tuijn’s expeditions, when a shark bit off the entire rudder of their boat in the middle of the Atlantic, forcing the crew to row over 1,000 nautical miles without it. We have seen in documentaries how sharks attack from the ocean depths, launching almost vertically to toss their prey above the surface before striking. So, sharks should not be underestimated either," Ivanov added.

And That Is Not All, Folks

Beyond concerns about sharks, the adventurer warned of a rising number of incidents involving swordfish and their variants attacking and puncturing boats. He recalled several incidents with rowing boats in recent years, including one where a swordfish's bill, fortunately, ended up between the legs of a sleeping rower instead of piercing his ribs.

When asked how his latest voyage changed him, Ivanov said, "After the Atlantic and, even more so, the Southern Ocean—known as the most ferocious—I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. But rowing in the Arctic, along Norway’s coast, through fjords and tens of thousands of islands, islets, and rocks emerging unexpectedly from the water, some not even charted, turned out to be my most stressful ocean crossing."

"I completely underestimated the risks of rowing near the coast—‘Ha, if anything happens, I’ll just land and be fine,’ I thought, with some self-irony. But what if there are 10,000 islands between you and the mainland? And if the wind, waves, and currents change direction every few hours? You find yourself in a nearly constant emergency state," he said.

"So, how did this last expedition change me? It taught me never to underestimate nature and the challenges of any new journey—every ocean, even the smaller ones. It turned out that smaller bodies of water can have steeper waves," he noted.

High Voltage Ahead!

Ivanov described the near-vertical waves in the Arctic Ocean. "When they hit the boat from both sides, it feels like a collision—literally like being in a tank and getting rammed from the side by another tank. This never happened to me even in the Southern Ocean," he said. Ivanov added, "Perhaps in the Southern Ocean, the waves are more spread out. These differences make each experience unique. The more striking the obstacles and uncertainties, the greater the satisfaction when you reach the other shore."

Regarding causes, Ivanov and his team continue to support long-term initiatives, including the Bulgarian Health Ministry's Yes! For Life! campaign, which encourages more people to decide and inform their families whether they wish to be organ donors after death. They also advocate for the protection of the Southern Ocean through a petition urging the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to designate an additional 4 million square km as marine protected areas.

A Dream on Board!

Looking beyond the horizon of the Indian Ocean, Ivanov has set his sights on a new pioneering goal—rowing across all five oceans. "For me, this is a natural next step toward a bigger dream," Ivanov said. "God willing, one day I hope to successfully cross the Pacific Ocean as well. I am already looking not just at this expedition, but beyond it, toward the next one—still unplanned, still unorganized—but I hope that one day I’ll row the Pacific too."

The expedition across the Indian Ocean, from the western coast of Australia to the eastern coast of Africa, will have the honour and privilege of being under the flag of The Explorers Club.