Egyptian to Swim From Suez to Shalateen to Raise Plastic Waste Awareness
An Egyptian athlete just redefined the word triathlon. Omar El Galla travelled 6,500 KM across Egypt in 65 days by bike, followed by a 1,500 km run by the Nile. Now the 31-year-old dare-devil plans his third challenge.
In just a few days, the athlete will attempt to swim the length of Egypt in the Red Sea from the north in Suez to the south in Shalateen; a distance of 900 km.
Passing by Sokhna, Zaafarana, Ras Gharib, Gouna, Hurghada, Safaga, Quseer, Marsa Alam, Hamata and Berenice, the swimmer plans on swimming 10 Km daily for 90 days until he reaches his destination.
The first thing that came to our mind is whether El Galla will go solo into the water similarly to his previous adventures. Thankfully this time, he will be accompanied by a sailboat and a support crew and the boat will act as his moving home, where he will be eating, resting and sleeping on it between swims.
“I am doing this swim to spread awareness on the problem of plastic waste in Egypt and its negative effects on the environment, most of which is produced by single-use plastic products.” El Galla stated the reason behind his latest quest. “My hope is to get people to be aware of this issue and maybe start paying attention and adjusting their consumption patterns.”
Omar El Galla will spend all his time in the water with alternatives to plastics, to show us all that living with sustainable alternatives is doable.
“This swim is the third and final chapter of my quest to tour Egypt human-powered, thus completing what can be called The Egypt Extreme Triathlon.” El-Galla added.
The swim sanctioned by World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) and a partnership with “if” – the sustainable initiative that’s the brainchild of record-breaking Egyptian adventurers Omar Samra and Ahmed Gabr.
