Swim feat of when turned off French

5. October 2011 last updated at 02: 15 GMT by Christian Fraser BBC News, Paris Philippe Croizon explains, what inspired him on his latest ChallengeFrom banks take, they look like two sharp swimmer.

Philippe Croizon and Arnaud Chassery are most days the waters of their local boating lake, ploughs, to training for their next big challenge.

But under the water line, they are very different. Philippe has no arms and no legs.

Seventeen years ago the former steel during the adaptation of a TV antenna on the roof, was awarded to workers electrical shock an overhead line.

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, when they amputated the left foot, my last limb, I wanted to die. I was so depressed, as low as you can get. "But you have to decide - and I decided me to life"

end quote Philippe Croizon of an electric charge of 20,000 volts merged him on the metal head, on which he stood.

He would be killed immediately, but an other thundering free snapped him back to life. The time help came, was he so badly burned, that his arms and legs had to be removed.

"When she amputated my last link in the left leg I wanted to die," he said. "I was so depressed, as low as you can get." "But you have to decide - and I decided to live."

He says that he was inspired in the Hospital of swimming. He saw a documentary on television about an Englishwoman, who earlier this year had swum the English channel.

"Wow, I thought." Why do can not I do this? Why swimming not I the channel? "I don't know why, but it became an obsession", said Philippe.

Fourteen years later Canal between France and England - a performance that has been achieved only by some 900 other, able-bodied, swimmers was the 34 km (21-mile) the 43 year-old who first cross when turned off.

He crossed from Folkestone, Cap Gris Nez in 13 hours, 23 minutes - well above its 20-hour target.

Valuable partnerships

Plan now, he and colleagues to swim four other Strait between five continents channel swimmer Arnaud.

Arnaud Chassery and Philippe Croizon prepare the water type

Next year, the couple tried cross: the icy Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia; Shark-infested Gulf of Aqaba between Asia and Africa; and the Strait between Gibraltar and Morocco, and between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Philippe is surrounded by loving and devoted people including his partner, Suzana, which he on the Internet met.

She drives him to the training and is always there, with some of the more mundane things that fail to support Philippe.

But it is Arnaud, who takes over at the Lake.

On the edge of the pier Philippe the stumps of the legs, throws a Arnaud gently on which pair of silicone protective films. Then he fits Philippe plastic, fiberglass-thigh extensions. They are to keep each specially designed for the large blue Club, who exercise it through the water.

As soon as he "dressed", wheels Arnaud be friend to the water's edge. From this point on, they are the same.

Ex-couch-potato

"It took two years to prepare for my first channel swim," said Philippe.

"I started anything out." Before the accident, I was a real couch potato; I have the next to sport saw football with a bag of chips. So, gradually transformed I swim my body for that. I lift weights; I swam each day - 36 hours per week. "I swam two years about 4,000 km (2.485 miles)."

The training does look regime tiring, even for Arnaud.

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we want to show people that with determination, perseverance and lot of training, you can do the same as non-disabled people "

end quote Philippe Croizon in the home, they sit on the lawn and do their sit-ups together." In the House, Philippe has its own gym. A rack of roles that his arms measures the stumps, equipped.

In the water, Philippe average 2.5 km/h (1.55 mph), half-speed a swimmer like Arnaud. But by training together, they learn to synchronize their efforts. During the challenge they are next to each other - except in the Bering Strait - swimming, where Arnaud is set his own pace to keep warm.

Philippe hopes that their challenge disability in the areas of developing countries will encourage a different attitude, where they will travel.

"When it comes to training, Arnaud, me, fit the prosthesis kit has." In the country, I'm really just a big baby.

"But much of this expedition is the solidarity between Arnaud and me." No matter what I do does Arnaud. I do what he does. We remove the differences between us. In the water, we are the same. We are both human.

"We want to show people [in Africa and Asia] that with determination, perseverance and lot of training, you can do the same as non-disabled people."

No boundaries

Philippe is certainly an inspiration for people with disabilities in their own country - including 17-year-old son Gregory, who is dyslexic and was accident in two months after his father.

"I am very proud my father", he said. "He is just incredible." Sometimes, I think it is crazy to do all these things. But if he must do the life, then I think that he should do it.

The sky really is the limit for Philippe Croizon

"My father is a great example for me." He shows me that everyone can achieve extraordinary things.

"I have serious dyslexia, so I it find very difficult to write and read." But when I see my father succeeded, I think about the channel and swimming: I will fight for it! I work hard in school, and I'll make it! And it works: since last year, I have only good grades - I am my class. "

The biggest challenge for Philippe and Arnaud will be increased to 500,000 euro (£ 430,000) you still need to fund the trip.

In the Gulf of Aqaba, they must swim boats spotter - sharks and poisonous jellyfish - besides a flotilla and doctors, it should go wrong. There is much cost.

"We are preparing in the hope that we to increase the money", said Philippe.

"The only, we are what fear is so sea creatures - sharks, things." "But we have lots of security help on the surface — will be around us it three or four boats,."

After two hours of training in the Lake, he went to nearby castle close to Poitiers meet a team were hot-air balloon. The basket in which he travelled, had specifically for wheelchair users - it was the first balloon flight.

Strapped etched in a smile across his face, he drove into the clouds as he would have ballooning throughout his life.

"You see we can do something," he shouted, beaming.

Philippe Croizon is a notable French - for whom the sky really is the limit.

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