Andre Wiersig

Description

André Wiersig is a 44-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.

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 Career

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.