World-First Expeditions
In September 2020, Tez rowed 2,700 miles from California to Hawaii in the first United World Challenge. Then in April 2024, Tez completed his journey across the Pacific by rowing another 5,500 miles from Hawaii to Australia – the second United World Challenge, focused on ocean plastic and inspiration.
Expedition
1
Monterey, California to Oahu, Hawaii
2,700 miles – 71 days
Despite having no prior experience, Tez rowed alone from California to Hawaii in summer 2020, becoming the first person to ever complete the treacherous route as their first ocean row.
For comparison:
People who have climbed Everest
people who have walked on the moon
people who have solo rowed to hawaii
people who have solo rowed with no prior rowing experience
Expedition
2
Oahu, Hawaii to Port Douglas, Australia 5,500 miles – 126 days
To complete the Pacific Ocean, Tez faced an more dangerous journey that took him across the equator, around islands, and through extreme tropical storms.
Tez is the first and only person to row solo & non-stop from Hawaii to Australia.
With The support of United World Challenge team and partners, Our Two expeditions:
- Raised $148,950 for impact partners, United World College and Sungai Watch
- Funded 15 river barriers in Bali to prevent ocean plastic
- Inspired thousands of people worldwide
Partnering with Sungai Watch
The United World Challenge partnered with Sungai Watch, an innovative and globally leading nonprofit on a mission to stop plastic from polluting the ocean.
Impact of our partnership:
Help us stop ocean plastic at the source by renewing our best performing river barriers for another year!
The United World Challenge is proud to be part of the 1% for the Planet community, which connects businesses and nonprofits to protect the environment. Learn more at onepercentfortheplanet.org
The Ocean Is Our Planet’s Life Support System
After completing Expedition 1, I couldn't forget all the plastic I saw at sea. Such a pristine environment, yet filled with trash from around the world. I started asking myself, what's next? What’s a goal so big that I have to grow into the person who can achieve it? A goal so big, it inspires others to grow with me? That's what inspired Expedition 2, focused on solving one of the greatest threats our oceans face.
What guides the United World Challenge?
Our goal is not just to complete more daring expeditions, but to do so in ways that unite researchers, companies, and storytellers together to create tangible results for the ocean:
- Accelerate the most promising solutions to solve the ocean plastics crisis
- Advance the most promising scientific research on ocean health
- Inspire people everywhere to feel connected to oceans and get involved
There will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2048, unless we act now. The good news? Effective, low-cost solutions exist. We just need to scale them for the most plastic-polluting regions.
The United World Challenge aims to accelerate today’s most promising solutions to solve the ocean plastic crisis. Together, we will turn the tide and stop the flow of plastics into our oceans.
MEET TEZ
My journey began with overcoming depression in college and led to me becoming the only person ever to row solo from California to Hawaii as their first ocean row.
In between, I became one of the youngest delegates to attend the World Economic Forum and earned an MBA from London Business School while running some of the UK’s longest ultra-marathons. I’ve also had my share of turbulent times. In 2016, I experienced radical loss when my father took his own life – an event which inspired me to row across an ocean. I’ve moved through changing tides as a professional, too. Navigating each challenge has propelled my drive to make the world a better place.
I believe we all have an “ocean” to cross, and the United World Challenge is my mission to inspire others to find their ocean and the courage to cross it.
Set a goal so big, you have to grow into the person who can achieve it.
The Team
The Challenge is supported by adventure, medical, and marine science experts, plus a coalition of world-class media partners and expedition sponsors.
EXPEDITION TWO Sponsors
Partners
Sungai Watch is the world's leading river barrier catchment solution. With over 180 river barriers installed and maintained daily, Sungai Watch has collected over 1.1 million kilograms of plastic to date. With United World Challenge, we're helping Sungai expand to new regions and bring their solution to help clean Asia's most polluting rivers.
OCN.AI is like a FitBit for the ocean, using technology on buoys and boats to gather cutting-edge ocean health data. Together, we're outfitting the Challenge vessel with a series of sensors to collect real-time ocean health data, stored on the blockchain for researchers worldwide to access.
Hakkoda is a modern data consultancy purpose-built to harness the power of data for good. With talented teams of data engineers, scientists, and AI experts, Hakkoda drives innovation for clients while tackling some of the world's biggest problems. From marine life conservation to the ocean plastics crisis, we believe that great change is powered by great data.
The United World Challenge Expedition 2 is a zero-waste expedition thanks to our partnership with CRDC. All plastic waste from the our expedition will be upcycled into CRDC's groundbreaking product, RESIN8, an environmental friendly substitute for sand used in concrete manufacturing.
Seakeepers and the United World Challenge are partnering on citizen science research projects to gather data across the Pacific Ocean on population dynamics of plankton and velella velella, important species for pelagic ecosystems. Together, we research, educate, protect and restore!
Far Away Projects is a 501(c)3 nonprofit fiscal sponsorship organization that supports global social impact projects and grassroots efforts around the world. Far Away provides the United World Challenge with nonprofit status and extensive backend support to grow our mission to help solve ocean plastic.
The United World Challenge is proud to be part of the 1% for the Planet community, which connects businesses and nonprofits to protect the environment. Learn more at onepercentfortheplanet.org
During Expedition 1, the United World Challenge partnered with Scripps Institution of Oceanography to gather world-first data for microplastic research. The United World Challenge will once again partner with Scripps to advance oceanic research during the next challenge with a series of world-first data collection methods.
