Aleksander Doba died at Kilimanjaro

Aleksander Doba, famous Polish traveler, died on 8th of February during his expedition to Kilimanjaro. 75 year old adventurer climbed on the highest mountain of Africa and soon after passed away.

He was famous for his long voyages crossing oceans and seas. In 2010 and again in 2013 he kayaked across the Atlantic Ocean westward under his own power. The two voyages were the longest open-water kayak voyages ever made, as he took a route from Senegal to Brazil.

Doba was the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean relying only on muscle-power alone, without the help of a sail. He was named 2014/2015 Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. The magazine counted 521,000 votes, more than ever before. After that, in 2017 Doba completed another kayaking trip across the Atlantic — this time eastward.

He also completed many other trips like around the Baltic Sea, across Poland on its rivers, from Police (Poland) to Narvik (Norway) and around Lake Baikal. While kayaking on Amazon he was twice attacked and and robbed in Brazil.
He was known as a kayaker but he also practised other sports, some of them rather extreme or at least requiring great strength and courage: jumped 14 times with parachute, piloted gliders for a total of 250 hours, and practiced cycling. He was a licenced marine yacht skipper etc.

During his last trip he seemd to be in optimal shape and full of energy despite his age. However after reaching the summit he asked to rest for a while before taking a picture. Then he passed out and despite CPR carried out by his comrades never regained conciousness.
Some say he died as an adventurer, doing what he liked most… He was a symbol and an inspiration for many people all around the world.

- We will always miss him — said Agnieszka Franus, editor-in-chief of National Geographic Poland.