Noam Yaron: “We reached nearly 60 million people online during the swim”
Two weeks ago, Noam Yaron set himself an extraordinary challenge: to swim across the Mediterranean without ever leaving the water. But just two kilometres from Monaco, he was forced to abandon the attempt for health reasons. © Noam Yaron Production – Studio Filmiz
The Swiss swimmer looks back on his historic feat between Calvi and Monaco – a record dedicated to protecting the oceans.
Two weeks after emerging from the Mediterranean following this unprecedented challenge, Noam Yaron wears a tired but triumphant smile. The Swiss swimmer has just completed a world first: 102 hours and 24 minutes of continuous swimming, covering nearly 178 kilometres from Calvi to Monaco. A global record that far surpasses the usual benchmarks of 50 to 60 hours for the longest swims in history.
How are you feeling today?
“I feel incredibly well, I’m slowly recovering from my historic swim in the name of nature! I haven’t yet managed a proper night’s sleep because of the injuries and burns, but that will come soon enough!”
Hospitalised in intensive care for several days after being pulled from the water just two kilometres from shore, the swimmer has no regrets regarding his remarkable feat.
Harrowing hallucinations after 48 hours
What was the hardest moment during those 102 hours in the water?
“The fatigue. 102 hours and 24 minutes without sleeping makes you more sensitive, emotional, more aware of the pain – and I had plenty of that… But I managed to push through with the help of my team and above all with micro-naps, either on my back or even while swimming!”
How did you deal with the hallucinations?
The most striking phenomenon was a complete break from reality: “It was very, very intense. My reality was totally altered. At times I couldn’t even see the boat – I thought I was travelling somewhere else, outside the water, far away! It was my brain trying to escape the sea, treating it as a traumatic environment after so many hours immersed in it.”
A magical encounter with a baby dolphin
What stands out most compared with your first attempt last year?
“My encounter with a baby dolphin that nudged my stomach and came to play with me in the middle of the night. It was the scariest moment and also my best memory from the swim. This year I saw far less biodiversity than last year, which suggests the Mediterranean may be in even sharper decline than I feared. We collected scientific data that can now be compared with last year’s.”
What did you observe about the state of the Mediterranean during those five days in the water?
The environmental assessment was sobering: “I saw more plastic than animals, which is heartbreaking. I did come across turtles, dolphins, a fin whale, devil rays, tuna… It was magical, but there was still less biodiversity than last year.”
An immense media impact
Was your message about protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 heard as you hoped?
“Far beyond what I thought possible. We reached nearly 60 million people online during the swim – almost equivalent to the population of France. That’s just incredible! The mission was to reconnect people with the sea, to raise awareness of its issues and its biodiversity, because how can you protect what you don’t know?”
Do you plan to try again, or is there another challenge on the horizon to raise environmental awareness?
“No, I won’t attempt the Calvi-Monaco crossing again. The challenge was more than successful. Now we’re making a documentary to revisit this historic achievement and its environmental mission. I’d also love to write a book about this unique experience, how I prepared my body and managed to achieve something no other human has done under these conditions. Above all, I will continue to carry the cause as far as possible, particularly as an official ambassador for the international Together For The Ocean campaign launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which advocates for states to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. So I have a busy few months ahead, and I hope to continue bringing light to this dark world we live in – and to make a large-scale impact on the future of our oceans.”
Noam’s answer is clear-cut: this unique feat will not be repeated. But his environmental commitment is set to continue on other fronts, with the ambition of raising global awareness of the urgent need to protect our oceans.