The wild-bearded Polish super-kayaker Aleksander Doba died as he lived — in pursuit of the extraordinary. At the age of 74, Doba passed away at the very summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, capping a life that was a relentless journey of exploration, determination, and pushing the limits of human endurance.

Recognizable for his long, untamed beard and his ever-smiling, weathered face, Doba became a symbol not only within the adventure community but also among mainstream audiences. His fame skyrocketed in 2017 when, at the age of 70, he kayaked across the Atlantic Ocean for the third time — becoming the first person in history to complete such a feat.

Doba was climbing Kilimanjaro as part of a guided group. According to his guides, he chose to split off and ascend at his own pace, a decision consistent with his lifelong preference for independence and self-reliance. Reports from the scene indicated that he showed no signs of altitude sickness, remained in high spirits throughout the ascent, and even shared cheerful words with fellow climbers near the first summit. “Wild Africa!” he shouted with joy, adding that he felt fantastic and was proud of the accomplishment.

Shortly after reaching the summit with his two guides, Doba sat down to rest — and suddenly lost consciousness. Despite attempts to revive him, he passed away within minutes. While the cause of death has not been officially confirmed, a heart attack is suspected — a not-uncommon fate for climbers at high altitudes, especially in their later years.

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From Polish Rivers to the World’s Oceans

Before becoming a household name in the world of exploration, Doba was an avid river paddler and a former whitewater slalom champion. His love affair with kayaking began in 1980, and over the following decades, he amassed an astonishing resume of expeditions. He circumnavigated Lake Baikal — the world’s deepest freshwater lake — and paddled around the entire Baltic Sea. He also undertook a solo journey of over 5,370 km from his home in Poland to the coast of central Norway, battling rough northern seas in nothing but a kayak.

His first Atlantic crossing came at age 64 — but it wasn’t originally his idea. In 2003, a Polish professor approached Doba, who was already known in paddling circles, for advice on crossing the Baltic Sea. That conversation evolved into an ambitious plan: the two men would each paddle solo from Ghana to Brazil, sleeping at night with their kayaks tethered together.

The expedition failed after only 42 hours, when they were pushed back to shore by powerful currents. But Doba was captivated by the challenge. Upon returning home, he resolved never to attempt such a voyage with a partner again. He began designing his own transatlantic-ready kayak — a one-man vessel capable of surviving months alone at sea. By 2010, his craft was complete. He named it Olo, after his nickname, “Olek.”

That same year, he launched from Senegal on a brutal 99-day voyage to Brazil — a journey that tested every fiber of his body and willpower. The heat and humidity were unrelenting. He suffered from eye infections, severe salt rashes, and lost most of his fingernails and toenails. His clothes became useless — wet, chafing, and unbearable — so he paddled nude for most of the trip. Adding to the isolation, he didn’t bring hearing aids — they weren’t waterproof, and there was no one to talk to anyway.

He arrived in Brazil to a quiet welcome — only a single journalist and the Polish ambassador were there to greet him. It was a world-first achievement, but largely ignored at the time. Undeterred, Doba returned home and immediately began planning his next crossing.

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Refusing to Stop: A Relentless Spirit

Doba was determined to complete three distinct Atlantic crossings — covering the South, Mid-, and North Atlantic. His wife, Gabriela, hoped he’d reconsider, but he did not. In 2013, as he prepared to leave for Portugal to begin his second journey, both his wife and son refused to drive him to the airport. Doba simply went on his own.

The second crossing started smoothly but turned into a saga. After months at sea, his satellite phone stopped working. He hit the emergency button on his SPOT device, summoning a massive Greek cargo ship. The crew tried three times to rescue him, but Doba, fiercely independent, refused to be taken aboard. He just wanted his phone fixed. Eventually, they gave up. Forty-seven days later, the phone resumed working — someone had forgotten to pay the bill.

He made an unscheduled stop in Bermuda to repair a damaged rudder, spending a month on the island before continuing to Florida, arriving in April 2014. This time, the world took notice. Upon returning to Poland, he was greeted as a hero and named National Geographic’s 2015 People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year. When asked to speak English onstage at the awards ceremony, he instead quoted a Polish proverb: “Polacy nie gęsi i swój język mają” — “Poles are not geese; they have their own language.”

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The Final Voyage

In May 2017, at age 70, Doba began what would be his third and final Atlantic crossing, paddling solo from New Jersey to France. This was his second attempt at the route — the first had ended abruptly due to storms and equipment failure. His wife admitted she was, in her words, “a little pissed.”

This last voyage, which took 110 days, was the most perilous. Doba faced multiple fierce storms, 55-knot winds, towering waves, and near-catastrophic equipment failures. During one terrifying storm, the rope to his sea anchor snapped. Wearing only a safety harness, Doba crawled out of his cabin to deploy a new anchor — a maneuver that nearly cost him his life.

Later, his rudder bent beyond repair. Furious but pragmatic, he reluctantly accepted help from a passing freighter. The captain was hesitant to let a 70-year-old, sleep-deprived man return to the open ocean, but Doba insisted. He completed the trip days later, having deliberately bypassed the UK coastline to fulfill his promise to reach mainland Europe.

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Legacy of a Legend

Aleksander Doba was more than an adventurer; he was a symbol of human perseverance and the irrepressible spirit of discovery. He spent over a year of his life completely alone in the middle of the ocean — a feat few can comprehend, let alone achieve. He held ten Guinness World Records, countless awards, and inspired thousands around the globe.

But perhaps his greatest achievement was proving that age is not a limit. Whether in his sixties or seventies, he continued to dream big, push forward, and inspire others to do the same. His death on the summit of Kilimanjaro wasn’t just the end of a life — it was a final victory lap for a man who never stopped climbing, never stopped paddling, and never stopped believing that adventure was the heartbeat of life.

Aleksander Doba will be remembered not just for the oceans he crossed, but for the boundaries he broke — and the spirit of courage he leaves behind for generations to come.