"You should keep something rebellious"
He was the first German to crawl through the Ocean's Seven - the seven most dangerous straits in the world. André Wiersig recently swam a four-day Wadden Sea odyssey from Husum to Sylt. He himself says: "The North Sea is one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world. On October 10, the extreme sportsman will be a speaker at Health Day 2024. We spoke to him about the sea adventure, resilience and hard lessons learned.
You have just completed the Wadden Sea odyssey by swimming from Husum to Sylt. A huge challenge ...
Big challenges are about getting involved. In my case, the sea. Take the North Sea, for example. Although some stretches are rather small in terms of distance, it still harbors some risks. The North Sea is unpredictable. When you're out there swimming in the sea, you can't control anything except yourself. There are many things you have to be aware of, despite all your preparations.
I am professionally supported by my team - for example, there are people from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency in Hamburg who calculate the currents. But despite all the planning, things often turn out differently than expected.
And why are you doing this?
I'm not interested in proving what I can do, let alone motivating people to do the same. With my actions, I mainly want to draw attention to climate change.
Which of your swimming adventures has been the most challenging for you so far?
All bodies of water have their own special challenges. For some it's the cold, for others it's the current. Japan, for example, has these insane waves. Then there are all the animals, such as sharks. They're not an issue in the North Sea, but the two stretches I swam in the North Sea, the "Wadden Sea Odyssey" from Husum to Sylt and the swim to Helgoland, are among the more difficult stages.
Is the North Sea such a big challenge?
The North Sea is one of the most dangerous sea areas in the world. You shouldn't underestimate it. You don't need to go to Tasmania. The North Sea is not called the "Murder Sea" for nothing. It's a really wild thing, but of course it's also very fascinating.
André Wiersig is an extreme swimmer and ocean ambassador.
What motivates you to tackle such extreme challenges?
On the one hand, it is - to put it selfishly - the privilege of being out there. It's great to swim in places where no one has ever been before. But the most important thing is to take people with me and give them my perspective. It's about showing them that the sea is not just a backdrop for a vacation. For the people who live there, it is an important source of sustenance.
Unfortunately, what is really important is too often taken for granted. But we are dependent on healthy oceans - not on any political decisions or gas supply contracts.
You come from Paderborn. That's not really on the coast. How did you come up with the idea of dedicating yourself to deep-sea swimming?
That developed for me. As a child, I used to go on summer vacations with my parents to what is now Croatia, which was still Yugoslavia back then. I looked forward to it the whole year. I swam around and couldn't get out of the water.
I love the sea. And of course I also have these longings and beautiful feelings when I'm standing on the beach somewhere. Yes, well, my love goes a little further than that now, because I go where the sea really is. It's not on a picturesque coastline that we know from a postcard idyll. The beaches, these tidy beach resorts, have nothing to do with the sea.
What does training look like when you are preparing for your adventures? How do you prepare yourself mentally?
As I live in Paderborn, I unfortunately can't train in the sea. I make use of the opportunities I have at home: I swim, do strength training, i.e. the whole body, endurance training, flexibility (joint training) and yoga.
You can't really train to swim in high waves or in extremely shallow waters, as was recently the case in the North Sea. You have to visualize it and get involved in the situation. I can do that much better than most other people. Keeping calm is the key to being able to survive - even if only for a few hours.
Is this an innate resilience or do you also train it?
It's trained. I don't think you just get this resilience out of the blue. I have developed some quite unconventional training methods, which I will talk more about at Health Day 2024 .
The key to success is to keep calm and free yourself from expectations. When you're out there swimming in such high waves, you simply can't breathe normally.
How do you fight fatigue when you swim such long distances for so many hours?
You don't get tired. I have to try to stay focused. The rhythm that I know from cycling or running, this recurring movement, I don't have that out in the sea because the waves and the sea impose their rhythm on me - and it has nothing to do with my rhythm in the indoor or outdoor pool. That's why you always have to stay wide awake.
Sometimes it's easier, sometimes harder, but it usually works well. There are sometimes twelve, 15 or 18 hours of my life in which I have to get involved and stay focused. That works well for me, although of course my thoughts sometimes drift away. But I have to bring myself back to it.
Swimming in wild waters is André Wiersig's passion.
How do you regenerate after a big trip like the Wadden Sea Odyssey?
I need a few days to process it. There's just so much jellyfish toxin in my body that has to come out first. The liver values are also extremely high. You have to give your body a bit of time to process the ordeal. I ended up swimming for four days in this insanely cold weather in just a pair of swimming trunks. That's not particularly healthy.
That's why regeneration is important. But of course I notice that one or two parts of my body make themselves known when I go downhill. So you have to keep a close eye on yourself.
What happens if you have to cancel an action?
Of course I'm disappointed. But there are a thousand reasons to break off or give up, and you have to analyze that carefully and ask yourself what the real reason was. You can't blame the ocean. It takes time, distance and then you have to be honest with yourself. And the fact that I am returning to the Seychelles is solely due to the fact that the local people care so much about this project. The people in the Seychelles, who are committed to sustainability and have been doing so for many years, sometimes at great sacrifice.
In the Seychelles, there are only three days in which it is theoretically possible to swim my planned distance. And according to all the forecasts, this window should be in December. That's why we're already keeping a close eye on things and looking for our chance. I'm talking in the plural because I have the team with me. You can't do something like this on your own. It's like the Wadden Sea Odyssey. They put a year and a half of preparation into it.
Do you also work with someone who helps you mentally?
Yes, I have a psychotherapist. I see him once a month. He's purely an analyst. He doesn't tell me what to do, but the conversations, the guidance and the understanding of my own behavior help - also for the implementation of future projects.
Is there a particular adventure you would like to embark on?
I'm swimming with bull sharks and humpback whales this summer as part of a scientific research program. I have encountered both sharks and whales, but mostly at night and alone. That's why I'm looking forward to being part of a research project and being able to participate in my role as a swimmer.
Calm is the key: swimming under extreme conditions requires resilience.
Longevity: Do you have any tips on how people can stay healthy and fit for life?
I think it's important not to be so overprotective, but to have the confidence to do something, to show a bit of courage. That's where that pig dog comes in, the one that tells you: "That's unreasonable and dangerous" or "You could fall down".
You should keep something rebellious towards your body. It must not become unreasonable, but should always be just on the edge of unreasonableness. It is very important to keep going, to stay active. The most valuable thing in our lives is the time we are healthy and active, and that needs to be worked for.
And you should think about it: Have I exhausted all my options, or am I taking medication because of my high blood pressure, for example?
Do you train differently today than you did ten or 20 years ago?
Yes, at 52, I'm definitely noticing my age too. I compare it to being stuck in a current: If you invest energy - in more exercise, for example - the result is stagnation and not progress. If I do nothing, I will be driven back by the current. If I swim against it, I at least stay put. Now I sometimes make more effort and still stand still. That's a hard realization. But it's simply a fact.
Further information on André Wiersig's commitment as an ocean ambassador can be found on his website The Blue Heart.
