On a clear, still morning, Sam Shoemaker launched his kayak into the waters off Catalina Island and began paddling. His goal: to traverse the open ocean to San Pedro, just south of Los Angeles, some 26.4 miles away. Shoemaker’s kayak was no ordinary kayak. Brown-ish yellow and bumpy in texture, it had been made entirely of mushrooms. If successful, his journey would mark the longest open-water journey in a kayak built from this unique material. With his phone, GoPro camera, walkie-talkie, and a compass affixed to his life vest, Shoemaker left shortly before 6 a.m. to avoid the worst of the swells in the forecast. Three hours in and powering through his ninth mile, the coastline still out of sight, Shoemaker began feeling seasick. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a large animal breaching the waters. To his left, a fin whale flashed its glistening tail, then trailed slowly behind him. As the 50-foot creature followed him for three more miles, Shoemaker found the strength to finish out the maiden voyage. The trek had taken him 12 hours. As he stumbled onto shore with his mushroom kayak still intact, he embraced his friends and family. “There’s probably some 19-year-old kid out there who thinks ‘I could do that,’ and they can,” said Shoemaker. “The biggest compliment that they could pay me is to go and build a better boat and attempt a crossing even more ambitious than mine.”
