American software developer Chad Elwartowski and his Thai girlfriend Supranee Thepdet made history earlier this year when they abandoned their landlocked lives and embarked on their shared journey as pioneers living on a seastead in the high seas.

Living on a permanent floating dwelling in international waters was supposed to make them the freest people in the world. Instead, it made them a target of the Thai government, which is now threatening the couple with their lives.

Pioneers on the High Seas

Working with Ocean Builders, a group of "engineering focused entrepreneurs" who build these structures (see below), the couple used cryptocurrency to purchase their floating home. The seasteads Ocean Builders designs are octagons made of steel and concrete. The structures are inspired by the "spar" design of oil platforms that already exist out at sea, except they are not nearly as large nor are they as expensive.