Andre Wiersig





André Wiersig is a 49-year-old German open water swimmer, Hawaiian Ironman triathlete, marathon runner, and ice swimmer from Paderborn, Hamburg. He completed the Oceans Seven on 9 June 2019 and is a member of the International Ice Swimming Association.
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2020 WOWSA Awards
Wiersig was nominated for the 2020 WOWSA Awards in the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year category with the following nomination: André Wiersig has followed up his Oceans Seven achievement with all kinds of positive dryland activities. After encountering dolphins, whales, sea lions and jellyfish in his channel swims, Wiersig became an ambassador for the German Ocean Foundation. His mission is to teach life lessons to others, including how to live an adventurous, eco-friendly life. After his Oceans Seven success, he co-created the beautiful hardcover book with incredible photography (called Nachts Allein Im Ozean, Mein Weg durch die Ocean's Seven or Alone in the Ocean at Night, My Way through the Ocean's Seven) together with Erik Eggers and Dennis Daletzki. He also co-produced the audio CD Ein Mann des Meeres: André Wiersig erzählt sein Schwimmen durch die Ocean's Seven (or A Man of the Sea: André Wiersig Tells of his Swimming through the Ocean's Seven) with Erik Eggers and Klaus Sander. For helping to motivate and inspire others as a German icon of extreme stamina, for serving as an ocean advocate, and for leveraging his Oceans Seven success via a book, public speeches, television appearances, and a CD, André Wiersig of Germany is a worthy nominee for the 2020 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year.
2019 WOWSA Awards
Wiersig was nominated for the 2019 WOWSA Awards in the World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year category with the following nomination: André Wiersig is a Hawaiian Ironman triathlete, marathon runner and ocean advocate who became the first Oceans Seven swimmer from Germany. He completed the Oceans Seven after a steady six-year journey around the world including an 18 hour 26 minute turbulent crossing of the Molokai Channel and a swift 9 hour 44 minute crossing of the English Channel. His approach to taking on the seven channel challenges is brutally refreshing and pragmatic; he takes the lessons learned from facing currents, waves, jellyfish and sharks, and applies this tough and flexible mindset to his professional IT work and everyday activities on dryland that includes serving as an ambassador for the German Ocean Foundation and working towards reducing plastic pollution in the oceans. He teaches others valuable life lessons and shares his concepts of how to live an adventurous, eco-friendly life amid all the comforts in the modern world. For transitioning from a bicycle and running shoes to become a powerful channel swimmer, for his inspirational messages about the marine environment that he shares with his colleagues, fans and younger generations, for being a personable, knowledgeable ambassador of the sport and the Oceans Seven, André Wiersig of Germany is a worthy nominee for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year.
Open Water Swimming Highlights
- He founded The Blue Heart in September 2022.
- On 20 April 2022, he attempted to swim 51 km between Mahé and La Digue in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
- On 4 August 2014, he completed the 26.4 km International Self-Transcendence Marathon-Schwimmen in Switzerland in 6 hours 44 hours 20 minutes.
- On 2 September 2014, he crossed the 33.8 km English Channel in 9 hours 44 minutes under the auspices of the Channel Swimming Association escorted by Reg Brickell on the Viking Princess
- On 15 October 2015, he completed a 42 km crossing of the Molokai Channel in 18 hours 26 minutes, finishing on Sandy Beach on Oahu escorted by pilot Mike Twigg-Smith, observer Jeff Kozlovich, kayaker Marcos Robaina, and crew Jürgen Peters and Guido Schneider.
- On 28 August 2016, he completed a 35 km crossing of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours 16 minutes 22 seconds.
- On 20 July 2016, he completed a 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel from the Santa Catalina Island to the Southern California mainland in 9 hours 48 minutes 24 seconds.
- On 11 July 2018, he completed a 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan in 12 hours 55 minutes.
- On 1 May 2018, he completed a 23 km crossing of the Cook Strait from North Island to South Island in 8 hours 2 minutes.
- On 9 June 2019, he completed a 14.4 km of the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 4 hours 17 minutes to achieve the Oceans Seven.
- On 21 August 2021, he became the first person to swim 48.53 km from St. Peter-Ording on the German mainland to Helgoland, a small archipelago in the North Sea in 18 hours 14 minutes.
Publications
- He co-wrote Nachts Allein Im Ozean, Mein Weg durch die Ocean's Seven (English translation: Alone in the Ocean at Night, My Way Through the Ocean's Seven) with Erik Eggers released in September 2019.
- He co-produced Ein Mann des Meeres: André Wiersig erzählt sein Schwimmen durch die Ocean's Seven (English translation: A Man of the Sea: André Wiersig Tells of his Swimming through the Ocean's Seven), an audio CD released in August 2020.
Oceans Seven
Extremschwimmer André Wiersig und die Ocean's Seven | Sportclub | NDR Doku
The Ocean's Seven - The Marathon Swimming Challenge by André Wiersig
Strait of Gibraltar
On 9 June 2019, he completed a 14.4 km crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar in 4 hours 17 minutes, swimming between Spain and Morocco. Video produced by Dennis Daletzki.
Molokai Channel
On 15 October 2015, he completed a 42 km crossing of the Molokai Channel in 18 hours 26 minutes, finishing on Sandy Beach on Oahu escorted by pilot Mike Twigg-Smith, observer Jeff Kozlovich, kayaker Marcos Robaina, and crew Jürgen Peters and Guido Schneider.
Tsugaru Channel
On 11 July 2018, he completed a 19.5 km crossing of the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan in 12 hours 55 minutes.
Oceans Seven Swimmers
1st: Stephen Redmond (Ireland)
2nd: Anna-Carin Nordin (Sweden)
3rd: Michelle Macy (USA)
4th: Darren Miller (USA)
5th: Adam Walker (UK)
6th: Kimberly Chambers (New Zealand)
7th: Antonio Argüelles (Mexico)
8th: Ion Lazarenco Tiron (Moldavia/Ireland)
9th: Rohan Dattatrey More (India)
10th: Abhejali Bernardová (Czech Republic)
11th: Cameron Bellamy (South Africa)
12th: Lynton Mortensen (Australia)
13th: Thomas Pembroke (Australia)
14th: Nora Toledano Cadena (Mexico)
15th: Mariel Hawley Dávila (Mexico)
16th: André Wiersig (Germany)
17th: Liz Fry (USA)
18th: Attila Mányoki (Hungary)
External links
- Seven Stages of Enlightenment in the Open Water
- 18 Years In The Making: Stephen Junk Achieves The Oceans Seven
- Kieron Palframan Achieves The Oceans Seven
- The Blue Heart
- André Wiersig Establishes The Blue Heart
- Swimming In The Alps at the Wörthersee Swim Austria
- The Unprecedented Adventure to Helgoland by André Wiersig
- Awards, Honors Of The International Swimming Hall Of Fame
- What Swimming Teaches About Life
- 2020 WOWSA Awards – World Open Water Swimming Man Of The Year Nominees
- Nachts Allein Im Ozean, Mein Weg durch die Ocean’s Seven
- 2019 WOWSA Award Winners Announced
- Adherbal Treidler de Oliveira Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Man Of The Year
- André Wiersig Across The Strait Of Gibraltar By Dennis Daletzki
- André Wiersig Becomes First German To Complete The Oceans Seven
- Attila Mányoki Completes Oceans Seven With A North Channel Crossing
- JUST GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
- International Ice Swimming Association
- André Wiersig Completes Tough Molokai Channel Crossing
- LongSwimsDB profile
- André Wiersig Facebook page
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- André Wiersig Shows What's Offshore In Molokai
- When All Eyes Look North
- Challenging Channel Crossings With Michael Twigg-Smith
- Awesome André, Wiersig In The Water
- Paderborn extreme swimmer has swam through Santa Catalina Channel
- André Wiersig from Paderborn has been training for the next channel
- André Wiersig Crashes Upon The California Coast
- Michael Twigg-Smith On Molokai Channel Crossings
- André Wiersig Completes 5th Oceans Seven Channel
- André Wiersig, 6 Down, 1 To Go In The Oceans Seven