Bartlomiej Kubkowski Becomes First to Swim Across Baltic Sea
Polish ultra‑marathon swimmer Bartłomiej Kubkowski completed the first ever unaided crossing of the Baltic Sea. He started on Friday, 31 July 2026, from Kåsebergi on the Swedish coast and reached Dziwnów, Poland, on Sunday evening after about 55–56 hours in the water, covering roughly 160–170 km.
The feat required him to stay in the water continuously, without touching the escort boat, and to exit the sea under his own power to qualify. He endured cold temperatures, strong currents, sleep deprivation, occasional hallucinations and a brief loss of consciousness, but was examined by medical staff immediately after finishing.
Kubkowski dedicated the swim to the Cancer Fighters Foundation, raising between 600 000 and 800 000 złoty for children with cancer. The successful attempt follows four earlier attempts (2022‑2025) that fell short by a few kilometres.
The achievement is celebrated as a historic milestone in long‑distance open‑water swimming and has drawn large crowds at the Polish finish line.
Entities: Baltic Sea · Bartłomiej Kubkowski · Cancer Fighters · Cancer Fighters Foundation · Dziwnów · Dziwnów, Poland · Guinness World Records · Kåseberga · Kåsebergi, Sweden · Maciej Rutkowski · Poland · Sandhamn
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 15 SOURCES] It was Kubkowski's fifth attempt; earlier attempts in 2022‑2025 fell short. (multiple articles)
- [● 16 SOURCES] Bartłomiej Kubkowski swam from Sweden to Poland across the Baltic Sea. (multiple articles)
- [● 16 SOURCES] The crossing took about 55–56 hours. (multiple articles)
- [● 16 SOURCES] Kubkowski became the first person to swim the Baltic Sea solo without touching a support boat. (multiple articles)
- [● 16 SOURCES] During the swim Kubkowski suffered sleep deprivation, hallucinations and brief loss of consciousness. (multiple articles)
- [● 16 SOURCES] The swim covered approximately 160–170 km. (multiple articles)
- [● 16 SOURCES] The swim was dedicated to the Cancer Fighters foundation, raising roughly 600‑670 k zł for children with cancer. (multiple articles)