There are not many unaccomplished things left for human beings to achieve.

So, if you come up with something like, say, stand-up paddle boarding, or extreme ironing, you might very well have a chance of being the first to do it somewhere on the planet.

This is what motivated three South Africans - Regardt Botes, 29, Flip du Plessis, 31, and Christo Smeda, 34 - who are all from Cape Town, to be the first to circumnavigate the island of Zanzibar by "stand-up paddle boarding".

"We just thought of something random and crazy that hadn't been done before, so we thought let's go around a nice-looking island that isn't too big," explained Botes.

The three men spent seven days paddling around the 235km coastline of Zanzibar, off the east coast of Africa.

Heatstroke and dehydration were the biggest challenges. The team had to contend with 90% humidity and the equatorial sun while paddling for eight to 12 hours a day.

"There is no shade from palm trees in the middle of the ocean."

According to a press release by the group, stand-up paddle boarding is a "relatively new sport in South Africa".

"It is a cross between long-board surfing and kayaking. It involves the paddler balancing upright on the board while propelling himself forward with the use of a single-sided paddle."

The team described their experience as "amazing".

Smeda said he had experienced "shades of blue I didn't know existed".

Botes said that "at most times the water was so crystal clear you could see coral 20m down".

The team said they received support in the form of free airline tickets from 1time and several resorts on the island.

The trip was intended to raise funds for Bobs for Good Foundation, a charity that buys school shoes for South African pupils .

OTHER WEIRD ACTIVITIES

• SOUTH African businessman Anton "Yster" van der Venter became the first person to practise extreme ironing, naked at the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in 2003.

Extreme ironing involves ironing clothing in remote locations.

• Mohr Keet, 96, became the oldest person to bungee jump off the Bloukrans Bridge last year.
• A 20-year-old man fell to his death after allegedly planking on a seventh-storey balcony.

Planking involves imitating a plank by spreading one's body across precarious places and posting the photographs on the internet.

• Italian Vittorio Innocente became the first person to cycle underwater at a depth of 66.5m in 2008.
• Austrian Sebastian Bösch lasted the longest ever in a bumper car rally, keeping at it for a full 24 hours in 2007.
• In the US 27 years ago, Tim McVey became the first person to amass more than a billion points in the arcade game Nibbler using a single quarter.

He subsequently has a local holiday named after him. - Sourced from Carte Blanche and Guinessworldrecords.com. Compiled by Charl du Plessis