Open Ocean Project Swim to thrill in a positive way |11 December 2021
André Wiersig (second right) during the press conference
● Fusion of sports, culture and tourism enveloping the sustainability agenda
In the spirit of the economic transformation agenda and the need to diversify the tourism and sports sectors, local affiliated private company TourBookers and the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry, supported by the government of Seychelles and various partners, are hosting an open ocean swimming event between Mahé and La Digue.
The Open Ocean Project (OOP) is scheduled for April 2022 (between 9-24 tentatively) and is an event that seeks to enhance the visibility of Seychelles as an ideal destination, promoting its pristine environment, its strong stand for sustainability, as well as its beautiful versatile features to host sports events and finally showcasing its rich cultural heritage.
It falls under the Tourism 3.0 Concept which is a fusion of sports, culture and tourism enveloping the sustainability agenda.
The event will witness German extreme swimmer André Wiersig make history by becoming the first person to swim individually across the ocean between the two islands, which are approximately 51 kilometres apart.
An extreme swimmer, marine ambassador and speaker, André is the first German swimmer and the 16th person worldwide who has successfully completed the Ocean’s Seven, the greatest world challenge in long-distance swimming.
The Oceans Seven is a marathon swimming challenge consisting of seven open water channel swims.
It was devised in 2008 as the swimming equivalent of the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge.
It includes the North Channel (between Ireland and Scotland, 21 miles – 34km), the Cook Strait (between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, 16 miles – 26km), the Molokaʻi Channel (between Moloka’i and O’ahu, 27 miles – 44km), the English Channel (between England and France, 21 miles – 34km), the Catalina Channel (between Santa Catalina Island and Los Angeles, 20 miles – 32 km), and the Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of Gibraltar (between Spain and Morocco, 10 miles – 16km).
A true man of the ocean, André joined a swimming club at the age of 11 and has kept his beautiful story with the waters ever since.
In his youth, he was active in triathlon, first over the Olympic distance, later in the ironman.
He is an ambassador of the German Ocean Foundation and is strongly involved in multiple ocean sustainability projects.
Through his participation in the Open Ocean Project, André aims to promote Seychelles’ efforts for sustainability focussing on the ocean as means of support for the local people and habitat for various species including some endangered ones.
During the Open Ocean Project which is a collaborative effort of the private sector and the government, André will swim individually across the waters between Mahé and La Digue ‒ a distance of 51km – to promote sustainability and the ocean as livelihood and habitat infusing the concept of sports, tourism and culture.
The project is also receiving the backing of environmental activist, founder and board member of the German Ocean Foundation, Frank Otto.
The key role of the German Ocean Foundation is to moderate an interdisciplinary dialogue on a sustainable handling of the oceans between representatives of environmental policy, natural resources management, science and education, environmental protection, culture, shipping industry, fisheries, tourism and sports.
The German Ocean Foundation is a non-profit organisation and initiates projects and campaign, functions as a platform for information on ocean issues and supports the distribution of knowledge on use and protection of the oceans.
As a media entrepreneur, Frank has a strong network in Germany and also internationally with holdings in the United States of America and Europe.
While in Seychelles André has had the chance to meet with the organisers and all affiliated partners, including members of the rescue team which will ensure smooth and safe passage for the swimmer.
He also had the chance to visit and assess the proposed route for the swim which he said will take between 15 to 20 hours.
In a press conference held on Wednesday at the Botanical House, principal secretary for Tourism, Sherin Francis, officially announced the event in the presence of the chief executive of the National Sports Council (NSC), founders and chief executives of the TourBookers Mariana Atherton and FelicitasGeiss, the company’s chief executive for Seychelles Mervin Cedras, alongside André and Frank Otto.
Mrs Francis said the event will be a huge opportunity for publicity and visibility, especially at a time where sustainability is the buzzword, with global emphasis being made on the subject.
She explained that other than swimming, André will also be Seychelles’ ambassador, promoting the country’s efforts and endeavour vis-à-vis the cause.
On behalf of the NSC, Mr Larue noted that sports tourism has always been on the council’s and the government’s agenda, while OOP is just the beginning of a long journey.
He explained that since the Seychelles territory is mostly ocean, it is right and appropriate to kick-start the initiative with an aquatic event.
Mr Larue also encouraged the youth to seriously consider taking up sports tourism as it has been proven to generate income and contribute towards the economy in many countries.
Who is André Wiersig?
Born on May 20, 1972 in Bochum and father of two, André Wiersig describes his extreme challenges as self-determined goals, which he achieves despite his job and family through specially developed methods.
He works as a speaker and trainer for companies, schools and universities, among others.
André also supported the “I Can Swim!” Programme of the First Paderborn Swimming Club of 1911 eV through donations, which enables small children to get the seahorse badge and learn to swim.
He joined a swimming club at the age of 11. In his youth he was active in triathlon, first over the Olympic distance, and later in the ironman.
From 2006 to 2008 he was the elite track rider of the Hanoverian Cycling Club from 1912.
After training as a shopping assistant, he began studying business administration at the University of Paderborn in 1995, which he broke off in 1998 after finding a job during an internship. His main job is in the IT industry.
In terms of sport, he developed a passion for extreme swimming. After crossing the English Channel in 2014, he turned to the Ocean's Seven challenge, which American Steven Munatones launched in 2009 as a competition based on the Seven Summits. By crossing the 14.4km of the Strait of Gibraltar on June 9, 2019, he became the 16th person ever and the first German to successfully complete the Ocean's Seven.
The stations of the Ocean's Seven
English Channel: England - France on September 2, 2014, 33.8km in 9 hours 43 minutes
Kaiwi Canal: Molokaʻi - Oʻahu on October 15, 2015, 42.0km in 18 hours 26 minutes
Northern Channel: Northern Ireland - Scotland on August 28, 2016, 34.5km in 12 hours 17 minutes
Santa Catalina Canal: Santa Catalina Island - Los Angeles on July 20, 2017, 32.3km in 9 hours 48 minutes
Tsugaru Street: Honshū - Hokkaidō on July 11, 2018, 19.5km in 12 hours 55 minutes
Cook Strait: South Island (New Zealand) - North Island (New Zealand) on May 2, 2019, 22.5km in 8 hours 02 minutes
Strait of Gibraltar: Spain - Morocco on June 9, 2019, 14.4km in 4 hours 17 minutes
About TourBookers
TourBookers is the biggest digital platform for magnificent tours in Seychelles and incorporates sustainability in two ways, including more than 400 sustainable and eco-friendly tours easy to find and book for tourists by offering a digital discovery and booking market place and partnering with local suppliers, governments, hotels and agencies.
It also enables local tour providers to build up, organise and scale their online business worldwide and therefore sustainably supports the local economy.
It represents the SMB of tour providers in Seychelles and thus supports the project objectives of Tourism 3.0 to attract worldwide media attention and promote the experience of Seychelles, promote to visitors sport activities and natural resources and also establish a framework for the fusion between sport and culture.
Compiled by Roland Duval
