Jamie Douglas-Hamilton was sitting in a rowing boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean in 2014 experiencing what he describes as “brutal adversity.” Blisters, exhaustion, storms, sleep deprivation, hallucinations – and a run-in with a whale – had pushed him and his six crewmates to the brink of their physical and emotional limits during a record-breaking attempt to row 7,000kms from Western Australia to Africa.
“Our resilience and stamina was tested every minute of every day,” reflects Douglas-Hamilton. “We’d row two hours on and two hours off, every day, for two and a half months, like the most gruelling groundhog day imaginable. The sleep deprivation was unbearable, and we seemed to be losing new layers of skin with every shift, leaving agonising blisters.”
An unexpected challenge on the trip, however, was the physical impact of drinking 13 litres of desalinated water every day. “We started getting really weak at the oars as we flushed vital electrolytes out of our systems,” says Douglas-Hamilton. “The symptoms got more dramatic. Crew members would pass out on shifts and start hallucinating. Passing out and hallucinating on a little rowing boat in the middle of the ocean is a pretty terrifying experience.”
One of Douglas-Hamilton’s crewmates then made what seemed to be a bizarre – and terrible – decision: he mixed seawater with his drinking water to replenish crucial salts. “The result was profound – we couldn’t believe it,” says Douglas-Hamilton. “This makeshift sports drink had an incredible revitalising effect. We felt more balanced, more energised, and stronger.”
After the other members of the Avalon crew followed suit, they completed the voyage in just 57 days, smashing the world record by two weeks. Douglas-Hamilton had an epiphany and, when back on dry land, he began researching the effect of hydration on health and performance. After exploring different products around the world, he arrived in Japan where he discovered alkaline ionised water, which had been drunk in the country since the 1960s and was approved by the Ministry of Health to help treat the symptoms of digestive issues.
Inspired by this find, Douglas-Hamilton launched Actiph Water in 2017, which has since become Europe’s leading alkaline water. But what is it? Actiph is made from purified British spring water that contains a unique blend of electrolytes: potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and magnesium sulphate. The water is then ionised to pH9 by passing a current through it via layers of platinum and titanium plates to eliminate sour tasting acidic ions for a smooth finish with zero calories, sugar or caffeine.
“I’ve always been driven by a desire for adventure, pushing my limits, and trying to inspire others to lead healthier, more active lives,” says Douglas-Hamilton, the holder of 15 Guinness World Records. Actiph Water is available to buy on Kibsons, in Dubai supermarkets and is the official hydration sponsor of the Dubai Active Show, which begins on November 24.
Douglas-Hamilton, 41, is currently seeking his next expedition. Most recently he attempted to follow the trail of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and row from Antarctica’s King George Island to South Georgia in January 2022. But illness, hypothermia, chronic seasickness, frostbite and treacherous conditions including a hurricane forced the crew to curtail their expedition after six hellish days. Despite their setback, the voyage still broke eight world records, including the first row from Antarctica, the first row on the Scotia Sea, and first crew to row the Southern Ocean from south to north.
Remarkably, Jamie stepped on board the rowing boat in Antarctica just five months after undergoing open heart surgery to repair a leaking aortic valve that was the result of a genetic condition. Keen to pay tribute to the medical team who helped him, Jamie tackled the trip to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.
While appearing at the 2023 Dubai Active Show, Douglas-Hamilton meets Esquire Middle East and looks back on that life-changing voyage from Australia to Africa in 2014. “When we set off from Geraldton Harbour, and watched Australia disappear out of sight behind us, we knew we wouldn’t see land again until we reached Africa, 80 to 100 days later,” he says.
“It was a terrifying but exhilarating feeling – the trepidation of what lay ahead, both known and unknown, contrasted with the excitement of what we were setting out to accomplish. The days and weeks that followed were unlike anything any of us had experienced before: storms that looked like they’d come straight out of a Hollywood film, equipment losses, a rescue to recover a crew member that suffered serious burns from boiling water, and an altercation with a blue whale. Talking about it now, it’s unbelievable to reflect on. At the time, we maybe took for granted the extraordinary and unique nature of what we were experiencing. Few people in the world get to experience something like that, which is very humbling.”