An ex-policeman has started a 2,000 mile swim across the Atlantic today in a bid to become the first ever person to conquer an ocean.

Dad-of-one Ben Hooper, 38, set off from Dakar in Senegal, Africa, shortly after sunrise and hopes to reach Natal, Brazil by March 2017.

The Brit will burn up to 12,000 calories per day as he swims freestyle for up to ten hours a day – all the while battling up to seven-knot currents and 30ft-high waves.

An ex-policeman has started a 2,000 mile swim across the Atlantic today in a bid to become the first ever person to conquer an ocean

Dad-of-one Ben Hooper, 38, set off from Dakar in Senegal, Africa, shortly after sunrise and hopes to reach Natal, Brazil by March 2017

The former police officer, who also served in the British Army, will face extreme water temperatures, deadly box jellyfish and the harsh equatorial sun.

But perhaps the deadliest obstacle blocking his dream of getting a world record is deadly sharks- because the Atlantic Ocean is infested with them.

Ben, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, will don a wetsuit that makes him invisible to the animals in a bid to keep them away – and he said he’s sure ‘everything will be fine’.

The endurance athlete said: ‘I know for a fact that I will see sharks during my swim, especially as their numbers have been increasing.

‘As an environmentalist, I am obviously over the moon that shark populations are on the rise.

The former police officer, who also served in the British Army, will face extreme water temperatures, deadly box jellyfish and the harsh equatorial sun

‘It is fantastic that marine life is recovering and more should be done to improve populations of sharks and other species alike.

‘But as a person who will be swimming in shark territory, it is also something that bothers me.’

Ben, who will sleep on one of two boats travelling by his side in between swims, added: ‘Ultimately, I have two boats alongside me with a team of experts onboard.

‘They will be on the lookout for danger and make the call as to when I stay in the water or get out.

‘I trust them implicitly so I’m sure everything will be fine.’

Experts have warned that the chance of Ben completing his ‘Swim the Big Blue’ expedition without encountering a great white, tiger or bull shark is near impossible.

Populations have swelled over the past two decades thanks to international conversation efforts and hunting bans.

Off the Senegal coast alone, the region has suffered 66 attacks between 1990 and 2006 and fatalities have been recorded even in very shallow waters.

To protect himself, Ben will don a wetsuit designed to make him invisible to the deadly animals and use ‘shark shields’, which emit high frequencies to deter them.

He’ll also be equipped with a ‘shark defence’ chemical repellent made of synthesised rotting shark cartilage.

But experts warned that swimming in a metal cage – which is too impractical – would be Ben’s only real help of staving off a shark’s jaws.

Experts have warned that the chance of Ben completing his ‘Swim the Big Blue’ expedition without encountering a great white, tiger or bull shark is near impossible

To protect himself, Ben will don a wetsuit designed to make him invisible to the deadly animals and use ‘shark shields’, which emit high frequencies to deter them

Dr Patrick Rice, Dean of Marine Sciences at Florida Keys Community College in Key West, USA, said the number of great whites has reached ‘unprecedented’ levels.

Dr Rice, who is working on a new type of shark repellent, Incortrix SuperPolyShark, said: ‘It’s good news for the ecology but a serious risk to Ben.

‘However, Ben is very aware of the dangers and is as prepared as someone can be to handle the situation if it does arise.’

Ben decided to take on the Atlantic challenge after a terrifying childhood incident – in which he ‘DIED’ after drowning in a swimming lesson.

The then five-year-old sunk to the bottom of a busy pool ‘without trace’ while other kids played overhead, and had to be dragged out and resuscitated.

Despite having turned blue and not breathing for minutes, Ben went on to make a miraculous full recovery.

In a remarkable twist, the incident – which Ben confined to the ‘darkest recesses’ of his mind for more than 30 years – led him to become an open water swimmer.

Swimming the Atlantic – described by explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes as one of the last-remaining extreme feats of endurance – is his chance to ‘lay the demons of my childhood to rest once and for all’.