André Wiersig is a German open-water swimmer, author, documentary filmmaker, and ocean advocate. He is the Founder and Managing Director of theBlueHeart gGmbH, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to marine education, educational filmmaking, and partnerships connecting schools, science, and industry. After competing in swimming, triathlon, and Ironman events, he crossed the English Channel in 2014 and went on to complete the Ocean’s Seven—the world’s seven major channel swims. In June 2019, he became the sixteenth person worldwide, the first from the German-speaking world, and the first swimmer to complete every crossing on the first attempt. His experiences in the open ocean inspired his book Nachts allein im Ozean and the ZDF television series Man of the Ocean, which brought his encounters with marine pollution, changing water temperatures, and declining ocean life to a wider audience.
Through theBlueHeart, Wiersig now focuses on translating extreme endurance into environmental action. He produces educational documentaries, including the Reconnect series filmed in the Seychelles and the North Sea, and develops ocean-learning programmes with schools and local partners, including an educational centre on Mahé. He also serves as an Honorary Ambassador of the German Marine Foundation. As a keynote and TEDx speaker, he works with companies, universities, and public institutions on responsibility, resilience, fear, and decision-making under uncertain conditions. His message for the Bay of Bengal Conversation emphasises that the ocean is not merely a space of borders, trade routes, and strategic competition, but a shared system supporting climate stability, food security, livelihoods, and human dignity. His guiding principle is simple: protect what you love.
