ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Canadian paddleboarder came to Rochester to accomplish a feat that has never been done before.

Mike Shoreman is known as the Unbalanced Paddleboarder. On Sunday, he began a journey at Charlotte Beach to become the first person with a disability to paddle across international waters from Rochester to Toronto.


What You Need To Know

  • On Sunday, Mike Shoreman began a journey at Charlotte Beach to become the first person with a disability to paddle across international waters from Rochester to Toronto

  • It's a feat he thought would have been impossible just three years ago when he came down with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which stripped him of his ability to balance on a paddleboard

  • Shoreman eventually relearned how to use a paddle board.

  • It will take him three days to complete the trip

"I thought I was going to be really anxious and nervous and a bit scared,” Shoreman said. “I just woke up this morning and I thought ‘let's go for a paddle."’

It's a feat he thought would have been impossible just three years ago when he came down with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which stripped him of his ability to balance on a paddleboard.

"I lost my paddleboarding business,” Shoreman recalled. “I lost my identity. My independence, my social life. I went on a huge mental health myself. I ended up in a crisis center because I couldn't cope and I didn't see a way out and then on the other side of getting mental health treatment. I realized I don't want kids to feel that way."

Shoreman eventually relearned how to use a paddle board.

He wanted to also inspire others, and that's why he titled his journey "Paddle Across America." 

His voyage is supporting the Tyler Clementi Foundation in New York that focuses on mental health, and the Trevor Project, that supports LGBTQ+ youth.

"I really hope that it shows,” said Shoreman. “One: when we get knocked off of our paddleboards, we can climb back on them and we can keep going. It might not look the same as it once did, but we can do it with a lot of hard work."

He also hopes it shows that the importance of getting involved in your community. 

It will take him three days to complete the trip.