FERRY CHEAP: Pair Pedal Hydrobike For Six Hours On Open Sea To Dodge Boat Fare

A pair of travellers who pedalled a hydrobike for six hours across the South China Sea have told how they did it to dodge a GBP 5 ferry fare.

The duo – from Guangdong Province, southern China – could have made the trip to Hainan Island in just 60 minutes by boat.

Instead, they climbed on a rickety hydrobike and pedalled their way across the open sea.

A selfie video of the bizarre journey shows that the men were not wearing life jackets.

In fact, their only protection seems to have been an umbrella lashed to the bike’s handlebars.

The pair – one known as Brother Stone on social media, and the other named Mr Zhou – baffled social media users.

Brother Stone claimed many netizens sympathised with them.

Two men without life jacket cross the Qiongzhou Strait on a water bike from the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong to Haikou, Hainan, undated. The whole journey took 6 hours. (1015190397/AsiaWire)

But many other online users criticised them for being reckless.

Although he said they were thankful for the nice weather whilst crossing the ocean, Brother Stone admitted the paddling was extremely exhausting.

He added: “After going ashore, our legs were painful and sore. We could hardly walk.”