Fitting that the first poster is called Fiesty1. Exactly what this guy was.

Fearless for trying. Lucky for surviving. Lesson learned??? Probably not.

next time maybe he'll bring a paddle

What lesson, Blake? He survived. Not everyone's happy sitting at home internet surfing all day and night.

Janek Lisewski, 42, a kite surfing champion from Poland, was two-thirds of the way through a 124-mile trip between Egypt and Saudi Arabia when the wind died down and deflated his kite. He survived by drinking energy drinks and two energy bars. He used a knife to fend off sharks.

Now all we need is the obligatory whinge about the rescue cost and we're complete.

I really wish that there was more to/on this story.....it was a good story but lacked excitement because of the lack of specifics....how about adding or expanding on the situation like: "I was on my board and the sharks were circling and while one shark...who I named Henry, was trying to tickle my foot, Roger..the other shark, was attempting to eat my head. So, I turned at the last minute and full-hand face slapped Henry, turned to Roger as he was making his run, pulled him out of the water by his gills, sang folk song to him then mule-kicked Roger in the baby maker and threw him back into the water...that was day 1.........oy!"

I'm just say, expounding on a story with more detail sort of draws the excitement into the story for the reader...but what do I know...I want to kick a shark in the baby maker....... just sayin!

Polish huh? LMFAO!

Maybe next time he'll wear a CamelBak on a "124 mile trip"

I also like Zuksam's suggestion

Red-

That was EXACTLY what I was thinking....I thought it should've been the FIRST thing someone commented about!

As in "Did you hear the one about the Polack who tried to cross the Red Sea on a kite board?......"

I call BS on the shark issue claim, especially after he put blood in the water from stabbing the shark as he said he had done.

LOL @ Disabled vet.

You sir have a a great sense of humor and a talent for writing :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_%28CA-35%29#The_wreck

I call the CSS Indianapolis on everyone calling BS. Read it and learn something about American WWII history, marunes.

I call the CSS Indianapolis on everyone calling BS. Read it and learn something about American WWII history, marunes.

How does a ship full of military personnel, being sank during wartime and being plagued by sharks after the water was basically chummed, even compare with, a single adventure seeker, trying to make a name for himself (and failing in succeeding as planned), miraculously surviving without a scratch, while physically fighting off multiple sharks and basically chumming the water?

Hmm...let's see. A ship full of war Vets trying to survive after their ship was sunk. Or a single fame seeker trying to make themselves special. Who may have something to gain by, maybe, embellishing the truth a little? Hmm?

Now, that is a real MAN!

Yes, he is Polish - if he was an American he would have had a big crew following him on a boat, making sure he is not in danger. This guy did it the old fashioned way - took plenty of risk.

My o my....what balls he has!

@MrIndia- thank you sir, I appreciate it greatly. I think you are the only one that actually read it and got a chuckle. have a great day!

I particularly found this portion interesting ...

"He sent an SOS signal but it took nearly 40 hours for the Saudi Arabian coast guard to find him."

Shows how you can count on the Saudi s if your in trouble! ..lol For all our problems if that had happened off our coast line the US Coast Guard would have been there within a hour!

Goldfish, Fiesty1 i am stupid i am not! lol Aside from a plane crashing into the ocean, noone will see articles about me fighting off sharks for hours n hours! I am not affraid to try new things, i just do not see a point in trying to cross a large body of water like this with only a board between myself and large animals with sharp teeth that would eat me as a snack! lol I truly believe that people skipped the common sense line when preparing for birth! lol

LOL. Score.

It's all fun and games until you have to stab a shark in the eyes.

Yep to a shark he was one big pierogi. (a meat filled lump of dough)

He must also be a tough sob. Good for him that he had a strong will to live and was in good enough shape to survive the ordeal.

I agree with you completely.

I agree He should pay for being rescued. How many other foolish people have put rescuers lives in danger just for their own sense of fame lol

shut up! maybe HE didnt spring for an escort like YOU would, but lets just say you woke up, took a stupid pill and did the same thing....you cant tell me you'd float around as shark bait for hours just because they're innocent wildlife....no, you'd do whatever needed to be done to survive

Don't shut up !! He put himself in the position to have to do that. Reckless lack of planning. At least take a GPS to be able to report your exact location. Dumb a$$.

Until you have been in the water (unprotected) with sharks, you should really keep that opinion to yourself.

@Jack-956313 One would have to put themselves into that situation to begin with. I am not one to wake up and say I'm going surf sailing with sharks. Today is a good day to jump off a mountain. Wow that looks really extreme and dangerous, got to try it. It takes a special type of idiot to do those things. I'm not saying I'm the brightest bulb on the tree but I don't want to put myself or others in a dangerous situation.

...and there it is.

Excellent Peridot. I was going to say something about how many comments in before someone started whining about the cost of rescue or "the poor sharks who were just minding their own business." It didn't take long. Apparently, some people believe everyone should just stay home surfing the internet instead of exploring life. And yes, I did take note of the irony in that statement.

Phil-763763

Why he didn't spring for an escort is beyond me! So irresponsible!!! He should be fined and forced to pay the Saudis for the cost of their rescue. I feel more sorry for the countless wildlife that he crippled.

seriously, u misanthropes really need to get out more. Regardless of how he got into the situation, that is what they are paid to do. Force to pay is ridiculous and as another poster said, u expect him to get crippled or die from a shark attack. I'd do the same thing and u would too.

okay well, he is obviously an adrenaline junkie and likes to do stuff like this because well he enjoys it. And he IS a champion kite surfer who sailed the Baltic between Poland and Sweden last year....same length as the one he did this year....and as for the sharks? seriously? You're complaining about him stabbing sharks to save his life? and sharks kill others aruond the world and your frigging complaining about him saving himself? Just shut up. And maybe he didn't plan that to happen since he made it fine last year across the Batlic...until YOU decide to do something you like and get stranded, and do anything to stay alive, Shut up and don't be saying rude comments abuot him.

Poor Jen, must be suffering from PMS, and poor Tayli...just had to get down there and wallow in the mud with the very people you are scolding...makes you like em...don't you think. You're judging. Hear the old saying that if frogs were meant to fly, they would have been given wings. Either way, the fella was out of his element, and yes, wildlife had to suffer for it. You know nothing about wild life. They too must kill to eat. Tunnel vision, you both need to research before jumping in here.

Spring for an escort?, um, they don't have escorts in Saudi Arabia, unless you're a member of the royal family. He could certainly find many in Warsaw. Real cheap too.

All the people posting that this guy is an idiot are more than likley the same people that have never left the city and their only connection to the outdoors is through NatGeo. I dont understand why is is so hard to understand the lust for adventure. Yes, his plan for this water crossing lacked in a few areas but dont bash the guy for wanting some adventure in his life. When feats of great difficulty are accomplished it tends to inspire others to be great in their own lives. If this article was about his sucessfull crossing with a awesome shark battle in the middle we would be watching the movie by December.

Lets see: some guy jumps into shark tank and expects to avoid the natural elements of this ecosystem, thereby resorting to destructive and dangerous behaviour for his own self-preservation...and lives to baost about it?!?

Hmmmmmmmmm, NOT intending to be rude but I cannot see the hero accomplishment here....especially since HE'S GOING TO DO IT AGAIN?!? ...I.D.I.O.T?!!

Apparently a lot of you missed some of the information. one questioned his lack of a GPS - he had something, he was able to send an SOS. He had a knife, so he knew something about preparedness, for sure it wasn't for cutting the shroud free when he landed, all he has to do for that is release the harness buckles. He obviously can swim a whole lot better than me, he was in the water for 40 hours. He is strong, he was able to remain awake and alert for 40 hours, keeping himself afloat and fending off sharks. Make Polack jokes if you want, but the comments above about know-nothings that spend their time surfing the internet are more accurate or knowledgeable than some others on here. I admit to doing a bit of surfing when in the office, but out and away from work, I am a bit of a survivalist myself, and enjoy the wilderness (where I might face a bear, but a three-dimensional thing like sharks, that can come at you from every direction but above - I never go out in the ocean!).

So Phil, if you are camping and have to shoot a bear that is attacking you, I'll feel sorry for the bear and not you?

For clarification, I would also do everything to survive including shooting an aggressive bear. I am also an avid outdoorsman -- try up to 8 day self-supported backpacking trips in Canada, the US, Peru and Costa Rica. I have also encountered dangerous wildlife including a black bear & its cub at 10 yards. But more often I end up NOT seeing the dangerous stuff because I take intelligent precautions... like ending snorkeling when the sun approaches the horizon to avoid tiger sharks at Mona Island, PR or proper storage of food in bear-country. If I had to hurt on of these denizens, it would only be for eat-what-you-kill or survival... and I would be very upset with myself if the latter occurred.

Also, Russians that I shared outings with the last 10 years would are a macho group but they plan their outings. This guy, I think they'd agree, is an idiot... plain and simple.

Also, just look in your backyard... in the USA, many places warn that you'd be charged the bill for dangerous rescue missions... sometimes 5 figure bills. Many rescuers die all the time rescuing stupid mountaineers or cavers.

@JK10, i totally agree with you!!

And its kinda funny how I'm just sitting here and reading adults being @!$%#s abuot some guy when you don't even know him! Who cares he went and kite surfed across the Red Sea, and survived for 2 days on energy drinks and bars? Yeah, I bet some of the people on here wouldn't even do that nevermind survive doing that. I'm 19 and just seeing adults complaining about things he did? Just goes to show that even adults will say stuff about other people even while they themselves have probably never left their home.

Tayli, I like totaly like everything you like are saying about these adults! They are like totaly like stupid and stuff!

Are there people really whining about this? Sure, he may have to pay a fee for being rescued, and so what if he does? He's alive, and that's all that matters. He did something he enjoys, in fact, did something that most people wont do in a lifetime. Yeah, he's going to do it again, because if he does get killed, he will die doing something he loves.

And as for the sharks? Shut the hell up, honestly. He didn't just deliberatly jump in the water and decided to go sharp punching, he was fending off natural predators (lol crippled wildlife my @ss)

Wow, that's pretty rude @chochabalua...way to be a dick. and adults do act immature at times, like you are right now.

I was thinking the same thing haha

yep, phil collins.........

it only took the Saudi coast guard 40 hours to find him?.......lol......there getting better!

"they're"

Phil Colinski.

I'm not sure. Have him say "su-su-sudeo" and I'll let you know.

Su Su Sudio!

You may be correct in that, it's difficult to tell with his sunburn and shades.

iv,e got it! as soon as the sharks started circling he started singing.......ive been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord, oh lord, ha ha ha

PETA doesn't care about sharks. Only cute and fluffy animals that make you go AWWWWWWW.

Yeah....but how many of the cute and fluffy animals did PETA EUTHANIZE last year and all the other years prior? The truth they do not want you to know about...google it!

Not sure about how truthful this guy is with stabbing the sharks....sounds more made up than anything else. If he stabbed a shark that would cause blood in the water, more sharks would come. Keep stabbing and more blood. Eventually I would think he would be over-run by the sharks, but hey, its his story.

You're serious?

So it's ok for the sharks to eat him, but not ok for him to defend himself.

You're an idiot.

That's the question - were the sharks actually going to eat him?

Maybe they were just curious.

I somehow have the feeling that if they were on the attack it would have been quick and vicious.

if sharks were "curious" about me, and close enough for me to poke their eyes out....i think we all know what would happen....there would be a lot of sharks missing eye balls

Yes it's ok for the sharks to eat him. It's nature. That's what wild animals do. If he wasn't an idiot out there in the first place then he wouldn't have had to defend himself. Just like people that get attacked by wild animals around the world, and then the animal gets destroyed. Sooo you were out in nature, a wild animal did what is natural, and now it should die? I don't think so. I never feel sorry for the people in any stories like that.

Maybe they were just curious.

"Curious" in shark speak means "can I eat this?" and they really only have one way of figuring that out, lacking opposable thumbs, and all.

Yes it's ok for the sharks to eat him. It's nature. That's what wild animals do. If he wasn't an idiot out there in the first place then he wouldn't have had to defend himself.

So you're saying he should have just resigned himself to his fate?

I always love the "it's nature" speak. Apparently sharks are part of nature "just doing their thing" but humans are not.

Sorry, this guy was just doing his thing as much as the sharks. Sharks may not have the intelligence to behave like us but they are intelligent enough to know that if I try to eat something and it stabs me I should leave it alone.

On a side note, the guy should have had a support group following in a boat. Not to have done that is pretty dumb.

Most shark attacks are because the shark misinterprets the human+surfboard as a seal, a natural meal for them.

At least here in Oregon attacks usually result in a bad (even deadly) bite with the Shark spitting out the human and rinsing the awful taste out of their mouth.

Aw, I thought the same thing - poor sharks. I wouldn't fault anyone in his position for attacking the sharks, but it doesn't mean I can't feel bad for the shark.

"Maybe he was curious"

That does it for me. Everytime I come across a wild animal I will just assume it's curious. So all you people in Alaska, that Grizzly walking towards you is only curious :)

You are also a moron.

Good god.

your both and idots

Well atleast your name leaves no doubt " Stoopid ". Secondly April why do you keep getting defensive because some are upset/mad that he was hurting the sharks? I'm glad the guy lived, hell it would be scary as could be, but he is laying smack dab in the middle of the sharks territory, what do you expect the sharks to do?.

Guess we are all morons for givin a damn about some sharks though, I mean... what the hell do those sharks think they are doing messing with something floating on the water! Good God... As you would say... do they have no manners and respect for life!!.

stoopid, stand up and step away from the keyboard.

"bad fishy"

I don't understand why these people think that other people are responsible for and should pay for their rescue !

MM: AGREED! He should have had an escort - a plan in place for his own safety. To not have done so was irresponsible and he could have prevented his situation.

@MM,

How do you know that is what he expects?

He expected to have enough wind to cross the Red Sea. The weather guessers were wrong. Again.

Because that's why the world has rescue teams. Everyone knows that people do stupid stuff.

...and a volleyball named Wilson.

For all we know he's gay. You're assuming a lot about him.

So Peridot--

You seem to be assuming a lot as well. If he were to be gay, can he not have grandchildren?

That wasn't the post mine was answering, Gbrown. This is on the wrong thread, sorry.

Gay folks can have children and grandchildren, too. :) More power to them. Marriage and equal rights are due to all people of legal age. I hope it comes up for vote in my state, I'll support it. I can see no way anyone could lose by it.

I think the guy that killed his wife with a cannonball in the middle of the night probably has this guy beat.

And You're just the one to do it aren't you?.

Oh, please, be more belligerent. That's what we need in this world, more males spilling testosterone everywhere. Doesn't anyone teach manners these days? More importantly, doesn't anyone use them now?

WOW... someone put on their big girl pants today! If he were meant to be in the water, he would be a fish. He went into their territory, unprepared, so they should have eaten him! Apparently he had little concern about his life, so why should we?!?!

Seriously? So you're saying if you were at a beach--like millions of normal people--and a shark came up, you wouldn't defend your self? I mean after all, if you were meant to be in the water, you would be a fish!

You go into the water at your own risk. Why is everyone SO shocked when someone gets eaten by a shark. This is preventable. Stay out of the water. This idiot chose to be a dumbass and kite across open water without an escort. Do humans really think they're invincible. He obviously didn't think ahead, so if he were eaten, it would just be another day.

And this guy wasn't just having 'a day at the beach', like millions of normal people. He was playing unprepared dumbass on open water!

your and idot.

I really wouldn't be calling anyone, anything, if I were you.. Just sayin.

Spell much, stoopid?

@stoopid,

What's an "idot" ?

@stoopid -WHAT? My brain hurt after seeing what you posted

YOUR? (You're) AND (an) IDOT (idiot)? Maybe, just maybe, possibly? Please go into your bathroom, take your medications.....drink some water, sit down, scream up from the basement to your (see YOUR not You're in this case) mother and find out what time Dora the Explorer comes on and contemplate tree fungus until your shows come on. the rest of us actually enjoy reading educated posts and putting things of value up onto the threat...like this post! BAH!

Stoopid has lured many of you into his/her web with his comments and intentional misspelling. It makes me wonder who is actually stupid in these cases

{....and Stoopid enters, stage left, to see his lair nicely littered with the succulent corpses of viners stuck in a surly web. Stoopid punctures their weak and corpulent bodies like a straw into a Capri Sun (tm) pouch. He vigorously sucks and sucks and sucks.

Stoopid: Ech. What's this biohazard? Doesn't taste like blood. Damn, Stoopid. How often must I chastise you? Get it right! BLOOD!

I'd like to see...he deserves to get eaten...

Seriously? Do people ever reread what you post? Such resentment and seething hatred for a man you don't know.

A cornucopia of borderline personality disorders. Welcome to America.

I don't know if he deserved to be eaten but he sure asked for trouble. 1. out in the open shark filled water. 2. alone no escort. 3. few supplies. 4. wrong supplies(red bull dehydrates). 5. spilling blood in the water (the shark's) while surrounded by sharks. What he did was just as stupid as walking around in Gary Indiana, Camden New Jersey or South Central L. A. flashing several thousand dollars in cash openly. World champion kite surfer? Slightly less important than being the best hockey player in Saudia Arabia.

Feel sorry for a survivor?

Wrong emotion, friend. Be jubilant that he survived. Admire his good fortune that the Saudis found him by his emergency SOS. Congratulate him on his ingenuity and inventiveness in remaining alive in a challenging situation.

Geez, no wonder there's so much insanity on these boards. People have no idea of what constitutes an appropriate response to a news story.

Peridot, most of us posters in the same situation probably wouldn't have survived. I know I wouldn't have!!! I hope this guy sells his story for big bucks because he deserves it. Those who don't believe his story might want to look up the story of the USS Indianapolis.

Couldn't have said it better myself

Guess the Saudi rescue team are lying as well.

team (singular) IS lying, Peridot!

Hey FED-UP grammer police! UP-YOURS!

Wow! Exactly the same thing happened to me too! Except the avalanche didn't take me right to my front door, and I mistook the rescue team who responded to my smoke signals for white sharks and stabbed them with my knife until they just went away somehow.