Lewis Pugh once said, “There is an old African proverb, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.'”
The United Nations Patron of the Oceans and Egyptian swimmer Dr. Mostafa Said Zaki joined him during their 123 km Coral Sea Swim from Tiran Island in Saudi Arabia to Hurghada, Egypt in 2022. The environmental swim took a cumulative total of 46 hours 13 minutes over 25 different swim stages in water that averaged 27.3°C, ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Dr. Zaki, a 36-year-old Egyptian dentist coached by International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer Mohamed Marouf, has competed in the 26.4 km Sri Chinmoy Marathon Swim Rapperswil-Zurich in Lake Zurich, Switzerland, the 26 km International Swimming Marathon of Toroneos Gulf, and two 10 km Oceanman events.
He explains his path to marathon swimming, “My main profession is dentistry. I graduated in 2008, and went on to opening my private practice in 2015 in Maadi after many years of learning from industry leaders and practitioners.
I’ve always been passionate about sports since childhood on both personal and educational levels. I started playing basketball, then shifted to swimming. Over time, my interests diverted to water polo. I gradually became more passionate about the sport and
joined Maadi Sporting and Yacht Club in several national and international tournaments.
In 2015, I re-joined my swimming team to re-establish my connection to the sport and joined Maadi Athletes to participate in more endurance-based events. Since then, I’ve enjoyed outdoor swimming, be it in pools, seas, or even lakes like Egypt’s famous Crocodile Lake.“
© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“