Stand-up paddleboarders crossing Lake Erie, spanning 130 km in 24 hours

Paddleboarding is typically done as a fun, recreational activity on a sunny day. But for Kwin Morris, Joe Lorenz and Jeff Guy, it's a way of raising awareness of the environmental issues in the Great Lakes.

On Tuesday, all three men will be paddleboarding across Lake Erie, traversing 24 hours between the Dawson Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle and Sandusky, Ohio.

In 2015, Morris, Lorenz and Guy first crossed Lake Michigan after discussing the idea at a Christmas party. According to Morris, it was first meant to be the "challenge of a lifetime."

Soon after, they decided to use that journey as a way of raising money for charity.

"We did it. We raised $10,000," said Morris. "We had an opportunity to make an impact on the Lakes that we love so much."

Their goal is to cross all five Great Lakes. So far, they've crossed 96 kilometres on Lake Michigan, 143 kilometres on Lake Huron and another 96 kilometres on Lake Superior, raising $33,000 altogether. Tuesday's trip across Lake Erie has a fundraising goal of $10,000 and is expected to span 130 kilometres.

Preparing for 24 straight hours of paddleboarding

Cold pizza, burritos and mangoes. These are just some of the food items Morris said he's carrying with him on the Lake Erie trek.

All three men will be carrying their own water bottles. Morris says that's in case they hit algal bloom — or as he calls it, "toxic water." Algal blooms were a concern in the 1970s and have begun to cause concern again. The blooms have caused drinking water advisories in the past.

"Even the air around it can be toxic," said Morris. "We do want to see one because we document the trip, so it would be nice to show people what they look like and how they are affecting the lake."

All of these paddleboarding journeys across the Great Lakes have the potential to be very dangerous, according to Morenz, who adds it's all about keeping the "acceptable risk factor" in mind.

Other supplies they'll be carrying include "night vision" lights, GPS locators, warm clothes. They'll also be leashed to their paddleboards in case the men do fall in the water and accompanied by two safety boats at all times.

"We've taken every precaution we can," said Morenz. "If it gets into a situation with weather or anything where safety becomes a factor, we're done. We're getting in the boats and we're going home."

Tap on the player below to see the paddleboarding across Lake Erie:

But the dangers of paddleboarding across Lake Erie don't just come from the length of the trip. It also has to do with the unpredictability of the lake itself.

"Obviously, we have a lot of big freighters to deal with, especially in the river," said Morris, adding waves in Lake Erie can reach upwards of eight feet.

"This one scares us the most."

Problems in the Great Lakes

Each Great Lake has its own set of environmental issues, according to Morris.

Take Lake Superior, for example, where the paddleboarders observed a high amount of microplastics in the water during their 2018 journey.

"We were in the northern part of Superior — one of the most remote parts. And all we could see were little, tiny pieces of plastic. And also big sheets of it, in the most remote part of the Great Lakes," said Morris.

"With [Lake Erie], there's chemicals in the water. With the algae blooms, the list goes on and on — with the shoreline restoration and just old pollution on the riverbank."

For Lorenz, paddleboarding across the Great Lakes is meant to accomplish one goal.

"If we can get more people to value and enjoy the Great Lakes, maybe we can get more people that will participate in protecting them as well."

Their 2015 trek across Lake Michigan raised $10,000 for the Great Lakes Alliance.

Two years later, they raised $7,000 for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary after crossing Lake Huron.

They also raised $15,000 for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum after paddling across Lake Superior in 2018.

The fundraising goal for Tuesday's trek across Lake Erie is set at $10,000 for the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research.

"If we make it across Erie, then Ontario will be next year." said Lorenz.