“Years ago, I met Mark on a sandy beach in Southern California that was being pounded by massive ocean swells in Southern California. There was no hesitation – Mark was all smiles. There were no visible worries on his face – Mark was anxious to get started. His voice was strong and cheerful; I really respected his sense of adventure,” recalled Steven Munatones.
“We swam and had to dolphin beneath the waves multiple times as we finally got through the surf zone – the waves were relentless. When we got out in the open ocean, we continued to be tossed up and down, left and right. There was no let up. I lost sight of Mark – we both swam independently in the same direction, magically as one. I saw his swim cap off in the distance on the way back and – somehow – we got out of the angry Pacific Ocean roughly together.
Back on shore, Mark was still smiling and was even more anxious to get on with his Oceans Seven journey. He is, as he correctly sees himself, a survivor. He is a survivor with a broad smile, gentle nature, generous spirit, compassionate heart, and wonderful vision.”
Mark Sowerby (52, Australia, MSF bio here) appeared on the Success x Happiness podcast with host Richard Thomas who introduces history’s 29th Oceans Seven swimmer, “Mark Sowerby lost his billion-dollar company, his public reputation, and most of his wealth — and rebuilt himself by swimming some of the most dangerous oceans on earth. From founding the ASX-listed investment firm Blue Sky to becoming one of the few people pursuing the brutal Ocean Seven marathon swims, Mark’s story is about resilience, identity, and what happens when life pulls the rug out from under you.”
Podcast Chapters
- Chapter 1 | From Billion Dollar Founder to Starting Over (00:12:27)
- Chapter 2 | Blue Sky Collapse & Rebuilding Identity (00:44:03)
- Chapter 3 | Ocean Seven, Courage & Life After Trauma (00:50:51)
- Quick Fire Questions
Sowerby answered the following key questions – and provided the following takeaways:
- What does success mean to you? “Success means survival. Being able to get through difficult times and stay in the game.”
- What does happiness mean to you? “Trying to be the best person I can be and staying disciplined to my values.”
- What’s your normal morning routine these days? “I wake up early around 4:30–5:00, grab a coffee, review my paper diary, run my day through my behavioural filters, plan my actions, and often swim.”
- What piece of advice would you put on a billboard for the world to see? “Get outside your comfort zone earlier in life and experience hard things sooner.”
- Who would you suggest as a future guest on the show? “Michael Klim.”
History’s Oceans Seven Swimmers
43 humans in history have completed the Oceans Seven, including #29 Mark Sowerby:
- Stephen Redmond (Ireland)
- Anna Carin Nordin (Sweden)
- Michelle Macy (USA)
- Darren Miller (USA)
- Adam Walker (UK)
- Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand)
- Antonio Argüelles (Mexico)
- Ion Lazarenco Tiron (Moldavia and Ireland)
- Rohan Dattatrey More (India)
- Abhejali Bernardová (Czech Republic)
- Cameron Bellamy (South Africa)
- Lynton Mortensen (Australia)
- Thomas Pembroke (Australia)
- Nora Toledano Cadena (Mexico)
- Mariel Hawley Dávila (Mexico)
- André Wiersig (Germany)
- Elizabeth Fry (USA)
- Attila Mányoki (Hungary)
- Jonathan Ratcliffe (UK)
- Jorge Crivilles Villanueva (Spain)
- Adrian Sarchet (Guernsey)
- Prabhat Koli (India)
- Dina Levačić (Croatia)
- Herman van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
- Andy Donaldson (Scotland)
- Stephen Junk (Australia)
- Kieron Palframan (South Africa)
- Bárbara Hernández Huerta (Chile)
- Mark Sowerby (Australia)
- Paul Georgescu (Romania)
- Zach Margolis (USA
- Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria)
- Nathalie Pohl (Germany)
- Caitlin O’Reilly (New Zealand)
- Ryan Utsumi (USA)
- Marcia Cleveland (USA)
- Eduardo Collazos Valle-Guayo (Peru)
- Rob Woodhouse (Australia)
- Alessandra Cima, Brazil
- Bengisu Avci, Turkey
- Simon Olliver, New Zealand
- Andreas Waschburger, Germany
- Joanne Norman, Australia
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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