After 4 decades of following, observing, and studying marathon swimmers, channel swimmers, stage swimmers, and ice swimmers, I believe there are seven stages of enlightenment in the open water. These stages include:
- Stage 1: Common Sense: understanding the need to be able to swim
- Stage 2: Awakening (milestone): understanding how to safely deal with the conditions and situations that will be faced in the open water (e.g., waves, wind, currents, tides, temperature, marine life, psychology of fear and anxiety, hunger, hypothermia, hyperthermia)
- Stage 3: Revelation: experiencing and safely dealing with the conditions and situations in the open water
- Stage 4: The Great Work: overcoming the rough conditions and tough situations in the open water in order to be successful in achieving your goals
- Stage 5: Illumination (Milestone): accepting disappointment or failure due to rough conditions and tough situations in the open water
- Stage 6: Transfiguration (Milestone): enjoying the experience and opportunity to swim in the open water whether the swim is successful or a failure
- Stage 7: Cosmic consciousness: mentally simulating and physically enjoying the experience of the open water wherever you are (dreaming on dryland or struggling in the water)
André Wiersig is an example of one individual who has achieved these seven stages. Along the way, the IT specialists also became the first German swimmer to achieve Oceans Seven. Formerly an Ironman triathlete, Wiersig now serves as an ambassador for the German Ocean Foundation (Meeresstiftung). As he explains, “I love the ocean and consider myself to be one with it. I have followed my true passion for swimming in the ocean, and over the years, I have perfected my methods and skills to become an experienced open water swimmer.
Swimming in the most remote of places, far out in the middle of the ocean exposed to freezing cold water, where you cannot see any land and the waves are several feet high — THAT is my passion. I love being a guest in a place where the laws of the ocean have remained unchanged for millions of years.“
For more information on Wiersig, visit www.andre-wiersig.com.
© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
‘to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“