Amazon Swim

• Swam 56 Days + 3 days more: Total 59 Days
• Swam (3004 km) (1866.7 miles)
• Start date: June 25, 2000
• Finish date: August 23, 2000
• Swim start time: 12:00 p.m.

Note: The Danube is (2864 km) (1779.6 miles) long and it was necessary to swim an additional (140 km) (87 miles), in order to break the world record. This is what “plus three stages more” means.

• Water Environment at time of swim: In Germany and Austria, the water was safe for drinking. Down-river, this was not so.

Interesting Fact: This swim encompassed crossing (10) states and eight different languages.

• Most difficult aspects of swim: Numerous dams and lock and dams. ( 38 dams and 20 lock and dams) Cold water. The Pollution downriver.
• Range of water temperature: (10 to 28 C) (50 to 82.4 F)
• Martin’s Motivation behind the swim: It was the new Millennium. This period in time, after the new war in Yugoslavia there were serious economical problems. In regards to the environment, one of the cleanest rivers in the world, The TISA, had a disastrous condition. All of the fish and plant life were dying. At the beginning no one knew what was going on. Scientists came and determined that it was Cyanide. It was learned that Cyanide had been put into this river two times. This chemical destroyed all of the fish and plants for the next twenty years. Everything was destroyed.
• In regards to the Yugoslavia situation, most of the people around the world did not even know where this part of the world was. In Martin’s mind, he was thinking about this swim. He had many questions in his mind about doing this swim. He did not know if it was possible to swim for such a long period of time. This was his first challenge in Martin’s mind…. to swim so long…two months.
• Martin’s Goal behind the swim: Many people throughout the world would follow him via media on his swim and this would bring awareness to this area of the world and what was going on there.
• Accomplished Goal: YES
• Martin’s Health at end of swim: Terrible sunburn. Exhausted. No infections.
• Martin lost approximately (18 kg) (40 lbs) during this swim.