A glimpse inside Tez Steinberg’s epic Pacific journey. Tez Steinberg spent over six months rowing solo across the Pacific Ocean. More than an adventure, Tez aimed to raise funds and action to help solve ocean plastic and to heal after losing his father to suicide
Over 126 days from December 2023 to April 2024, Tez Steinberg rowed his 7-metre boat from Oahu, Hawaii to Port Douglas, Australia. He became the only person in history to complete this route solo and nonstop – and what’s more, Tez did this after recovering from a heart attack in 2022.
ONBOARD caught up with Tez to understand what drives him, his relationship with the ocean after spending 197 days alone at sea and what challenges he might attempt next.
OB: What drove you to row across the Pacific Ocean?
Tez: I was inspired by a film about a woman who rowed around the world. I walked out of the film festival and thought, I need to do that! That was October 2016, just a few months after my father had died of suicide. I was looking for ways to process my grief, and I felt drawn to being alone at sea. I wanted to get to know myself better, to challenge myself to grow and to do something truly special with my life.
OB: That was late 2016, and you completed your row in 2020. What were those years like?
Tez: I had no idea how difficult it would be just to reach the starting line. I’d never been to sea and needed to learn seamanship, survival at sea, navigation… Not to mention spearhead fundraising and logistics. All while doing therapy and personal work around my father’s death. It was exhausting, and at times I wanted to quit. Finally in Spring 2020, my boat was built, but pandemic restrictions prevented me from reaching it to begin training. In the end I managed three days of rowing in a shallow bay. I learned to use my chartplotter, radios, AIS and other basic equipment, then began looking for my weather window. On July 3, I rowed out of Monterrey, California and into the unknown.
OB: You then spent 71 days rowing alone to Hawaii. What were the highlights?
Tez: The first month… I thought it was such a bad idea. That I was an absolute idiot for attempting a route with a success rate of barely 30%. But when I reached Hawaii, I felt sad the journey was ending! Over those ten weeks I fell in love with the ocean. Rowing beside sharks, humpback whales, dolphins – all while completely alone – was just magic. And as my team on land helped me share the adventure on social media, we raised over $72,000 USD from followers, which funded three students with full scholarships to a United World College, an international school that changed my life. That outcome was really special – that through this row, I was able to give three students a chance to change their lives.
OB: So you decided to go back for more?
Tez: I was shocked by how much plastic I saw at sea. I went 71 days without seeing another person, but saw trash everyday. So when I got home, I began planning a second expedition.
OB: To row all the way to Australia?
Tez: That’s right. The first row began as a quest for my own healing and then turned into something much bigger. I wanted the second row to focus first and foremost on ocean conservation. I learned that 80% of ocean plastic comes from rivers, and I connected with a nonprofit in Indonesia called Sungai Watch, who install river barriers to stop plastic before it flows to sea. They’ve stopped millions of kilos of plastic from flowing to sea, and I wanted to support their work.
OB: So you rowed to Australia. 126 days alone at sea. What was that like?
Tez: I thought the first row was difficult… but rowing to Hawaii was a walk in the park compared to rowing to Australia.
2023 was a Super El Niño-year, and I saw ocean temps up to 93 degrees F. That meant huge clouds, massive waves, rough conditions…plus the navigational hazards of the coral sea. It was a grind from start to finish.
My doctors had given me the “green light” to row after I recovered from my heart attack in 2022, but at sea, all my doubts came to the surface and for the first few months, I was really worried if I was making a deadly mistake. And then those doubts birthed new ones and undermined my confidence.
Eventually the expedition boiled down to the challenge of reorienting my mindset to see possibility rather than adversity. One trick that helped was repeating to myself, “This will have a happy ending.” Saying that aloud helped me look out at storms and conjure a little more poise to proceed with confidence, even when I was scared.
OB: So was it worth it?
Tez: Of course! I survived, and this time I truly got to meet and then surpass my limits. The journey is making a real difference to ocean plastic, too. My team and I raised over $70,000 USD from followers, and put those gifts to work with our partners, Sungai Watch. Together we installed 15 river barriers in Bali, which are stopping over a thousand kilos of plastic each week from flowing to sea.
OB: What’s next?
Tez: The ocean is so beautiful, and desperately needs our support. But ocean-related causes receive just 1% of global philanthropic giving. People protect what they love, and many people don’t have a close relationship with our oceans. I want to help solve that by organising Resilience Retreats on board short, accessible sailing expeditions.
I plan to bring invited entrepreneurs and leaders for immersive experiences that combine personal development and ocean conservation. And to that end, I’m currently working on my ASA certifications and plan to crew on ocean deliveries to gain sailing experience ahead of launching this new offering.
Meanwhile I’m ramping up my mission as a Keynote Speaker, to inspire people around the world to find their ocean and the courage to cross it.
OB: Thanks Tez – Where can our readers follow you?
Tez: Visit TezTalk.com and UnitedWorldChallenge.org, and find me on Instagram/LinkedIn @TezSteinberg
