Bartłomiej Kubowski became the first person in history to swim across the entire Baltic Sea. The athlete covered over 160 kilometers in nearly 55 hours without stopping. He dedicated his swim to a charitable cause
Kubowski completed a historic swim across the Baltic Sea. After almost two days of continuous swimming, he reached the Polish coast at Dziwnów from the Swedish shore.
The athlete started on Friday, July 31, in the Swedish town of Kaseberg. During the swim, he covered over 160 kilometers and spent about 55 hours in the water
Pływał bez przerwy — nie zatrzymywał się, nie spał i nie dotykał towarzyszącej łodzi.
After coming out of the water, Kubowski admitted that he still cannot comprehend what happened due to extreme fatigue
The fifth attempt was successful
For Bartłomiej Kubowski, this was already the fifth attempt to swim across the Baltic Sea. He first tried to do this in 2022. At that time, the athlete spent 32 hours in the water and covered 115 kilometers.
In 2025, Kubowski was particularly close to his goal. He swam 159 kilometers and spent 53 hours in the water without a break. Only 11 kilometers remained to the Polish coast, but the swim had to be stopped after the athlete lost consciousness.
After that attempt, Kubowski said he would not return to this challenge. However, the desire to try again proved to be stronger.
“My head was telling me that I needed to rest, but every day when I went to bed, I felt like I wanted to try again. I couldn’t fall asleep with the thought of giving up,” the athlete wrote in March.
Tym razem udało mu się ukończyć trasę i wpisać do historii pływania długodystansowego
The swim was charitable
The event had not only a sporting purpose but also a charitable one. At the same time as the start, fundraising began for the beneficiaries of the Cancer Fighters foundation, which helps cancer patients and their families.
Shortly before the finish, the total donations exceeded 560 thousand zlotys.
The swim could be followed live on YouTube.
Karolina Szczepaniak continues her swim
Jednocześnie Bałtyk przepłynęła Karolina Szczepaniak. Polska pływaczka wybrała nieco krótszą trasę, która kończy się na plaży w Pobierowie. W poniedziałek rano pływaczka zakończyła swój wyczyn. Na jej stronie w mediach społecznościowych pojawiła się krótka wiadomość:
“Karolina zakończyła swoją próbę przepłynięcia Bałtyku ze Szwecji do Polski. Pływała przez 58 godzin,” czytamy w poście na Instagramie.
At the time of finishing the swim, she had about 40 kilometers left to the finish line.
Her swim was also for charitable purposes. Szepaniak was raising funds for the treatment and rehabilitation of 14-year-old Piotr.
