'Fish man' completes Amazon swim

A Slovenian man has completed a piranha-dodging swim along the Amazon.

Martin Strel, nicknamed 'fish man', swam 3,274 miles in 66 days to set a new world record for long distance swimming and he had to avoid deadly fish, crocodiles and pirates along the route.

He was pulled from the water in the Brazilian city of Belem and his medical team claim his blood pressure was so high he was at risk of a heart attack.

Mr Strel said: "The worst parts were the beginning and the end.

"The beginning in Peru was very difficult because of the sun, which hit my face directly and caused second and third degree burns, so I had to swim with a mask.

"The most difficult part was the last days in Belem because the tide meant I could only swim for six hours at night."

Mr Strel 'warmed up' for the swim along the world's second longest river by tackling the Yangtze in China, the Mississippi in north America, and the Danube in Europe but his Amazon adventure bought some new obstacles.

When he set off from the Peruvian town of Atalaya on February 1, buckets of animal blood were poured into the water to distract the piranha.

He had to steer towards fast-flowing currents at times to avoid the man-eating fish and at one point he was swept into a giant whirlpool and separated from his support boat.

He was also at constant risk from parasites and disease such as malaria and yellow fever.

He added: "One of my messages was to present the idea of medicine by phone, which is very important in remote areas like the Amazon.

"It is possible to provide first-class treatment to most people in remote areas through advanced communication systems.

Mr Strel said he also wanted to help preserve the Amazon rainforest and avoid industrial development on the river's banks.

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