# Bartłomiej Kubkowski
**Bartłomiej Kubkowski** (born 1995) is a Polish marathon swimmer who in August 2026 became the first person to swim across the [Baltic Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltic-sea), covering about 160 kilometers (99 mi) from Kåseberga in Sweden to Dziwnów in Poland in roughly 55 hours without sleep or leaving the water[1](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/55-hours-in-the-water-polish-swimmer-crosses-baltic-sea-from-sweden-to-home-country) • [2](https://ground.news/article/pole-becomes-first-person-to-swim-160km-baltic-sea-route-between-sweden-and-poland). He is known by the nickname "Foka" (seal)[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Poland[4](https://efinder.lk/news/article/kubkowski-completes-historic-swim-across-the-baltic-in-fifth-attempt) |
| Signature achievement | First person to swim across the Baltic Sea: Kåseberga, Sweden to Dziwnów, Poland, about 160 km in about 55 hours, completed 2 August 2026[1](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/55-hours-in-the-water-polish-swimmer-crosses-baltic-sea-from-sweden-to-home-country) • [2](https://ground.news/article/pole-becomes-first-person-to-swim-160km-baltic-sea-route-between-sweden-and-poland) |
| Attempts | Five crossings attempted between 2022 and 2026 under the Ultra Baltic Swim project[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/) |
| Closest failure | 2025: 159 km in 53 hours, lost consciousness 11 km before the Polish coast[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/) |
| Charity | The 2026 swim raised nearly 850,000 zlotys (€197,421) for the Cancer Fighters Foundation[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-) |
| Earlier career | 40 medals at Polish championships in pool and open water; IISA ice swimming world championship silver medals in 2022 and 2023[6](https://kubkowskiteam.com/) |
## The 2026 crossing
Kubkowski entered the water on the Swedish side on 31 July 2026 and came ashore at Dziwnów beach on 2 August at around 8 pm local time[7](https://gentlemanmagazine.pl/bartlomiej-kubkowski-czlowiek-ktory-przeplynal-baltyk/) • [3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-). Most reports give the swim as 160 km in 55 hours[1](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/55-hours-in-the-water-polish-swimmer-crosses-baltic-sea-from-sweden-to-home-country) • [3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-), although some accounts describe it as 56 hours[8](https://explorersweb.com/polish-man-swims-100-miles-across-baltic-sea/).
For the swim to count, he had to stand on the seabed unaided and walk out of the water; reaching the shallows was not enough, and neither waves nor the crews of accompanying vessels could complete the final meters for him[9](https://winsmagazine.com/articles/bartlomiej-kubkowski-he-entered-the-same-sea-five-times-on-the-fifth-attempt-the-baltic-allowed-him-to-reach-the-shore). He did not sleep for more than two days, never boarded a boat, and was not allowed to touch one[9](https://winsmagazine.com/articles/bartlomiej-kubkowski-he-entered-the-same-sea-five-times-on-the-fifth-attempt-the-baltic-allowed-him-to-reach-the-shore).
Conditions were hard. He faced high waves and water temperatures as low as 16 degrees Celsius off the Swedish coast[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-). Support-team member Kacper Dereń said the greatest fatigue sets in after the 50th hour, when the body demands an end to the effort; at one point Kubkowski began changing direction unexpectedly and stopped to ask where the team was heading[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-). Towards the end he experienced hallucinations, saw strange things, and lost his bearings, asking crew members where he was swimming; the team, which had seen this in earlier attempts, responded with additional meals[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-). A bottle of [Coca-Cola](https://www.edgepedia.org/coca-cola) thrown into the sea by the support team helped him through the final leg[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-).
After landing he was taken to a local hospital for a full medical examination, and said he was so tired that he could not yet grasp what he had done[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-). Doctors later asked whether they could freeze his blood for research; the hospital's head physician noted that his results resembled those seen after a marathon[10](https://przegladsportowy.onet.pl/plywanie/polak-przeplynal-baltyk-a-potem-nietypowa-prosba-to-stanie-sie-z-jego-krwia/hl1b92t).
## The five attempts
Kubkowski announced the project, named Ultra Baltic Swim, in 2021, and spent a year training, swimming up to six hours a day. The five attempts between 2022 and 2026 each ended differently[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/):
1. **2022**: 115 km in 32 hours, abandoned because of a weather breakdown[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/).
2. **2023**: 117 km in 40 hours, again ended by deteriorating weather; he described severe shivering and fingers so cramped with pain that he could not straighten them[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/) • [11](https://przegladsportowy.onet.pl/plywanie/nie-chcial-zostac-sam-na-morzu-schizy-polak-rzucil-sie-na-baltyk/mbpjdhs).
3. **2024**: 72 km in 19 hours, stopped by strong currents and seasickness[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/).
4. **2025**: 159 km in 53 hours, his closest approach; he lost consciousness 11 km before the goal and was pulled from the water by his team[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/) • [3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-).
5. **2026**: the successful crossing[5](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/).
After the 2025 failure he declared he would not return to the Baltic, but decided early in 2026 to try once more[9](https://winsmagazine.com/articles/bartlomiej-kubkowski-he-entered-the-same-sea-five-times-on-the-fifth-attempt-the-baltic-allowed-him-to-reach-the-shore). Preparation for the fifth attempt included training sessions lasting up to a day and a half, all-night swimming, and dozens of kilometers in the pool, according to team member Marcin Cieślak[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-).
## Rules and support
The swim followed marathon swimming rules: nonstop, without sleep, with no physical assistance. Food and drink were passed to him from the support vessel on poles or booms, since touching the boat was forbidden[8](https://explorersweb.com/polish-man-swims-100-miles-across-baltic-sea/) • [3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-). The boats handled navigation, safety, monitoring of his condition, and logistics[9](https://winsmagazine.com/articles/bartlomiej-kubkowski-he-entered-the-same-sea-five-times-on-the-fifth-attempt-the-baltic-allowed-him-to-reach-the-shore).
## Swimming career
Kubkowski began with the local club Medyk Giżycko and later swam for [Śląsk Wrocław](https://www.edgepedia.org/slask-wroc-aw), Kormoran Olsztyn, and AZS UWM Olsztyn, moving from competitive pool swimming to open water[6](https://kubkowskiteam.com/). Across pool and open water events he won 40 medals at Polish championships[6](https://kubkowskiteam.com/). In January 2025 he set a world record by swimming 103.58 km in a 25-meter pool in 24 hours[6](https://kubkowskiteam.com/). He has also competed in ice swimming, winning silver medals at the IISA World Championships in 2022 and 2023[6](https://kubkowskiteam.com/).
## Charity
Every Ultra Baltic Swim attempt has been paired with a fundraiser for the Cancer Fighters Foundation, with which Kubkowski has worked as a volunteer[10](https://przegladsportowy.onet.pl/plywanie/polak-przeplynal-baltyk-a-potem-nietypowa-prosba-to-stanie-sie-z-jego-krwia/hl1b92t) • [12](https://gck.gizycko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Moje-Gizycko-NR-92-czerwiec.pdf). The 2026 crossing raised nearly 850,000 zlotys (€197,421) for the fight against cancer, with the campaign still open after the swim[3](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-).
## References
1. [55 hours in the water: Polish swimmer crosses Baltic Sea from Sweden to home country, Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/55-hours-in-the-water-polish-swimmer-crosses-baltic-sea-from-sweden-to-home-country)
2. [Pole becomes first person to swim 160km Baltic Sea route between Sweden and Poland, Ground News](https://ground.news/article/pole-becomes-first-person-to-swim-160km-baltic-sea-route-between-sweden-and-poland)
3. [Hallucinations and a bottle of Coca-Cola: The final kilometres of Kubkowski's historic swim across the Baltic, Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/04/hallucinations-and-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-the-final-kilometres-of-kubkowskis-historic-swim-)
4. [Fact Check: Kubkowski completes historic swim across the Baltic in fifth attempt, eFinder](https://efinder.lk/news/article/kubkowski-completes-historic-swim-across-the-baltic-in-fifth-attempt)
5. [Ultra Baltic Swim 2026, official project site](https://ultrabalticswim.pl/)
6. [Bartłomiej Kubkowski, personal coaching site](https://kubkowskiteam.com/)
7. [Bartłomiej Kubkowski – Człowiek, który przepłynął Bałtyk, Gentleman Magazine](https://gentlemanmagazine.pl/bartlomiej-kubkowski-czlowiek-ktory-przeplynal-baltyk/)
8. [Polish Man Swims 100 Miles Across Baltic Sea, ExplorersWeb](https://explorersweb.com/polish-man-swims-100-miles-across-baltic-sea/)
9. [Bartłomiej Kubkowski: He Entered the Same Sea Five Times, Wins Magazine](https://winsmagazine.com/articles/bartlomiej-kubkowski-he-entered-the-same-sea-five-times-on-the-fifth-attempt-the-baltic-allowed-him-to-reach-the-shore)
10. [Polak przepłynął Bałtyk, a potem nietypowa prośba, Przegląd Sportowy Onet](https://przegladsportowy.onet.pl/plywanie/polak-przeplynal-baltyk-a-potem-nietypowa-prosba-to-stanie-sie-z-jego-krwia/hl1b92t)
11. [Nie chciał zostać sam na morzu. "Schizy". Polak rzucił się na Bałtyk, Przegląd Sportowy Onet](https://przegladsportowy.onet.pl/plywanie/nie-chcial-zostac-sam-na-morzu-schizy-polak-rzucil-sie-na-baltyk/mbpjdhs)
12. [Moje Giżycko NR 92 (June 2024), municipal magazine PDF](https://gck.gizycko.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Moje-Gizycko-NR-92-czerwiec.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Water sports › Open water and marathon swimming*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license