UK-born Bela Evers-Kapoor, an ocean rowing athlete, made history this year by becoming the first woman of Indian descent ever to successfully row across the Pacific Ocean. Evers-Kapoor was a key member of the Dutch Ocean Rowing Team ‘GROHE Team Ocean’, which embarked on a 39-day, 2,133 nautical mile journey from Monterey Bay, California, to Kauai, Hawaii, departing 30 May and arriving 8 July, 2025.
Evers-Kapoor was the only woman on a crew of three on the trip, during which the team faced brutal conditions, including towering 30-foot waves and sustained winds of up to 40 knots, testing both their physical limits and mental fortitude.
Evers-Kapoor is an accomplished endurance athlete of Indian descent, born in UK and now based in The Netherlands. Previously, in 2020, she crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a team of four women, making her now the only Indian woman to have rowed both oceans. She’s also a mother of three, and grandmother of one.
This year’s remarkable journey was a mission to raise global awareness for the preservation of our most precious natural resource – drinking water. The team’s crossing spotlighted the urgent global need for water conservation and behavioural change to reduce waste and overconsumption.
Bela spoke to eShe TV on her return. Watch the full video here, or scroll on down for edited excerpts.
eShe: What drew you to ocean rowing? Was there a defining moment when you told yourself, “I’m going to row across the ocean”?
Bela Evers-Kapoor: It wasn’t something that came overnight, that’s for sure. I live in the Netherlands. I was born in the UK. My parents come from Africa and my great-grandparents from India. I’ve been in sports since my youth and I encountered rowing about eight years ago. It was fascinating. I loved it. I just missed the challenge. I’ve been to Nepal, walked a mountain range there.
But I kind of missed that kind of challenge. And then when I heard about four women who had rowed an ocean, I thought, “Wow.” And they were middle-aged. I thought, “If they can do it, I can do it.” Why not? Life is too short.
So I started to investigate ocean rowing and I came across a local club. Then a friend of mine and I got together with two other ladies and, in 2020, we rowed the Atlantic. It was so inspiring, so beautiful, and I felt so much gratitude to be able to do it that I decided to do the Pacific as well.
What does being a woman of Indian descent mean to you personally? What is the cultural connotation of it for you?
I’m so thankful for where I am now. If I look at my grandmother, who got married at 12 and in those days didn’t have a choice, and my mother also… things have changed. It was so restrictive, and now there’s so much more available to choose from. It’s just a matter of going for it. I feel so grateful that I’m in the position to choose. That makes me more empowered, to be able to make such a radical choice – like leaving your kids behind to go for something you want.
There’s also something you want to give back to your family, to inspire them to do their thing, whatever it is in life. It can be small; it doesn’t have to be as big as what I’ve done, but just to give them that empowerment as well. I’m blessed that I can do this.
It’s about finding your path, whatever it is, knowing what you want to do, going for it, and having the choice. I think that’s so liberating.
Bela Evers-Kapoor is the first woman of Indian descent ever to successfully row across the Pacific Ocean
It must have also been a very emotionally challenging ride. How was it like from start to finish?
Um, wow, where do I start? Firstly, you can’t train for it. I didn’t know how I’d react to high waves, being in a small cabin. You’re in a boat that is eight metres by one and a half – it’s very small. I didn’t know how I’d cope with being on water for five, six, seven weeks. I had no idea. The only way to find out is to do it.
For me, it’s daring yourself to do something unknown and to explore what fear is. Fear is sometimes just in your head – you think you might be afraid, you think you might not like being on the water, but you don’t know until you do it. By doing it, I realised so much is in your head, and you can overcome those barriers. Just by going for it, you grow.
I learnt I was actually very comfortable on the water. I didn’t have big emotions or fears. The only time was when we first came across huge waves – four or five metres high. A foam wall went over us, the boat tilted 90 degrees, we were pushed close to the water – but then it turned back again. You realise the boat is made for the water, and once you have faith in that, everything’s fine.
We had problems – our auto steering failed on the Atlantic, and again at one stage this time – but you know you have to go on regardless. Even when we had to hand-steer, it didn’t matter; we knew we had to get to the other side. Whatever issue came up, the journey had to be completed.
It was a roller-coaster of emotions, but because I’d done it once before, it was easier and I enjoyed it more. Riding the waves, knowing the boat could take it, was exciting and exhilarating.
But you are at the hands of nature. Whatever comes – heavy winds, heavy waves – you accept it. On the ocean, you are so small, just an element of nature. And there’s gratitude and grace in that. On land we’re distracted by everything, but out there it’s just pure nature, nothing else.
“When you’re on the water for 40 to 50 days, you experience every little change in the sky” – Bela Evers-Kapoor
What were the more fascinating moments that you went through in your journey?
The wow factor was in the smallest things that we saw, observed and felt. When you’re on the water for 40 to 50 days, you experience every little change in the sky. The smallest movement of clouds, or every little change of the water, is magnified. Everything is in the moment. It is an enriching experience.
And, the stars in the night are magnificent. It is like you can see the Milky Way, the universe and beyond with your eyes. I have never seen the sky and the stars so clearly in my life. I observed that the Pacific is quite different from the Atlantic Ocean. The Pacific has even more beautiful skies. And I saw star constellations I’ve never seen before. It was beyond amazing.
The most powerful moments were the sunsets and the sunrises. It’s the change from night to light and light to night, that’s the biggest most magnificent change that you get to see every day and that’s kind of stayed with me. Back at home, I always want to go for walks during the sunrises and sunsets. It was the play of sun, moon and the stars that was just magical.
But it is not always magical! In the Pacific we also faced bad weather for the first half of the journey. It was very cloudy for most part, but when the clouds receded, it was special.
To experience nature up and close is marvelous. On our last trip, we saw a whale on the very first day, which was absolutely amazing because on that day there were big waves, lots of clouds and misty skies. But when we saw the whale, it made everything better.
And a few days later, we saw dolphins – a stampede of dolphins. At that point we were rowing at the speed of 60-70 km per hour and we thought it was the sound of a firefighter plane but it was hundreds of dolphins altogether. This was a very rare sighting.
We had tough moments, but it is the wonder of nature that kept us going.
Bela Evers-Kapoor giving a TED talk
What did the ocean teach you and your team about fear and faith?
The most important lesson it’s taught me is to only control the things that you can control. We can’t control everything in life although we might want to. So, navigate through what nature brings you.
Also, the concept of time was different, we didn’t sense time as we do in our everyday lives. We were really focused in the moment. You can plan a little bit ahead – like the route – but you don’t know what the weather’s going to be. So, the ocean taught us that you just have to be in the here and now.
In terms of faith, I think that’s very individual. I have faith and I believe there’s God. The form that resonates with me is nature and the energies of life. Also, faith in the boat: the boat was built to take on these big waves. So, I had faith in the boat, and in the team.
For me faith is something that is intangible. You need to feel it. You have to start with trusting that it will be okay, and be open to taking up challenges.
In your TED talk a few years ago, you talked about the hallucinations you had in your previous expedition. So, how do you train your mind, reorient it and keep focusing on the goal?
You can’t train for something like this. The hallucination is due to the fact that there is a lack of sleep. We ride for two hours and we rest for two hours and repeat the same nonstop. In the night you sleep somewhere between two to four hours. That means, over time, your body and mind start playing tricks on you and you start seeing things and hallucinating.
On my first trip, a crew member saw traffic at a traffic light and stopped at red, which was kind of strange. Someone saw cows grazing. This is something you can’t train for. But you need to be alert to make sure that everybody’s wellbeing is prioritised by giving each other rest as per individual needs. Gradually, after two or three nights, your body gets used to it.
In terms of mental coaching, this trip is 80 percent mental strength and only 20 percent physical. We took training for both. Another aspect is the team dynamics. How do you cope on such a small boat if there are individual differences or lack of communication? So, we have to learn each other’s personalities and how to communicate with each other. We know what to expect from one another. That makes it easier to get along. It is important to give each other space, listen and empower as well.
“Everyone needs to start recognising that our water infrastructure is not something we can take for granted” – Bela Evers-Kapoor
How do you motivate yourself and your team, and keep everyone focused on one goal?
We have a common goal to get from point A to B, so we all stay focused on that. We also ensure there is clear communication, regular check-ins and time for recovery as per everyone’s needs.
Personally, for me, music is a big motivator. At times rowing can feel quite boring. There were times when we would just listen to a podcast together and that’s something we do communally. We also played games on the last two trips and that kept things really interesting because you keep each other awake and motivated.
How was it like being away from the family and how did you cope?
When I decided to go on the first trip, I said I’ll only go if my family agrees. I obviously wanted to go for it, but I also wanted my family to be aligned on this. While on the journey, I would look forward to connecting with my family once a week and keeping them updated on the progress.
I missed my grandson the most. He was 10 months old when I left and now he is 11 months old. I also had an MP3 player with a few voice notes from loved ones that kept me going. But mostly the focus was on the mission. So, you’re always rowing and it is like being in your own bubble.
This crossing was meant to create awareness about water sustainability and the #Aquawareness initiative. What’s your message to everyone watching who wants to make a difference?
#Aquawareness is our campaign around water awareness. Our water supply is getting increasingly scarce because of climate change. We’re already seeing the consequences – glaciers melting, oceans changing, unpredictable weather, floods in some places and droughts in others.
So, we’re creating education packages. In fact, we’re working on that right now, using content from our rowing expedition. During that trip, each of us survived on just six to eight litres of water a day. That’s really very little, but we were in a kind of bubble.
If you think about your own bubble – at home, at work – it’s worth asking: how much water am I actually using? How can I reuse some of it? How can I make sure there’s enough not just for us, but also for future generations?
That’s why education is so important – schools, communities, everyone needs to start recognising that our water infrastructure is not something we can take for granted.
Right now, in the Western world, we have the luxury of steady water supply. But that won’t always be the case. Even in the most affluent countries, shortages are becoming a reality. So, we need to rethink water supply, water distribution, and empower people everywhere to reuse water in more sustainable ways.
For example, here in the Netherlands, the average person uses around 140 litres a day. That’s a lot. But even small changes can help – not flushing every single time, putting a bucket under the shower, or simply using the minimum instead of the maximum.
What do you hope that your children and grandchildren take away from your journey?
I hope my journey inspires them and helps them believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. That they can go and follow their dreams – no matter how big or small. Life is a journey and everyone faces big waves, headwinds, something that is not going quite right. But at the end of the day, no matter how much the pain and suffering, you will get to the other side. It’s about having faith that you’ll get there.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Health-GettyImages-1277148229-034ffc3b659a4db890e3b7bedb107eac.jpg?w=120&resize=120,86&ssl=1 "8 High-Fiber Foods To Eat for Hemorrhoid Relief")
