Aquatic explorer Justin Riney throws out first pitch
On Day 75 of a 365-day journey that will see him paddle around the entire Florida coastline, Justin Riney took a break from the ocean and enjoyed a restful afternoon on land watching the Rays - the baseball team, that is.
Riney, the Founder and CEO of Mother Ocean, came to the Rays/Red Sox game on Saturday as the special guest of Rays bench coach Dave Martinez. The pair met through a mutual friend several years ago when Martinez was surfing on Cocoa Beach and have kept in touch. Martinez heard about Riney's Expedition Florida 500 (XF500) project, which was inspired by the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon arriving at Florida in 1513, and invited him to make a stop at Rays camp during his journey. Riney threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
Riney's team will spend the first half of the year exploring the coastline: chasing swell in the Atlantic, freediving Spanish shipwrecks, sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, stand up paddling the state's coastline, catching mini-season lobsters in July, spearfishing in the Dry Tortugas, stopping into local beachside communities and hosting cleanups. They will encourage others to paddle with them, including team riders from Quiksilver and various celebrity paddlers. In addition, the team will be collecting research and data along the way to further ocean science.
Team XF500 will then turn inland, spending the second half of the year along the rivers, lakes, estuaries and marshland. They will document, map, and explore the waterways in similar fashion as they did with the coastline. The team will camp and airboat through the Everglades, canoe the natural springs, film Florida wildlife and scenery and kayak and stand-up paddle the river and waterways.
The expedition's primary goal is to highlight the importance of stewardship efforts as they relate to the ocean, coastlines, waterways, and the marine ecosystem. The team will document their journey through daily blogging, daily photos and videos for social media outlets, filming for their own documentary, and filming for Tahoe SUP's EXPLORE project series.
For more information on XF500 and Riney, visit facebook.com/XF500.
-- Jonathan Gantt / MLB.com