Matias Ola
World Record Open Water Swimmer
Born in San Miguel de Tucumàn in the northern province of Argentina, far away from rivers and seas, Matias learned to swim at the age of 21 years old to help overcome his problems with asthma. He explains “I just imagine that everything has a solution when faced with adversity. Failure is part of the challenge and the most important thing about my journey is that you can always try again. You have to have a focused mind and be ready for the most difficult things that can happen.”
Within a few months of starting swimming, he became a National Federated Swimmer, specializing in extreme winter swimming. In 2012, he becomes the first person to swim in the Ventisquero Negro of Bariloche at 1.5°C without a wetsuit. He crosses the entire southern wall of the Perito Moreno Glacier in 6°C, covering a distance of 1.8 kilometers in a record time of 17 minutes, also without a wetsuit.
Matias went on to complete many world firsts and achievements, such as:
- The first Argentine to swim in Lake Baikal in Russia, the largest, oldest, and deepest lake in the world, at a temperature of 7°C.
- In 2013, he crossed the Beagle Channel between Punta Macinlay (Argentina) and Punta Cabo Peña (Chile) swimming, without a wetsuit.
- Connected Eurasia with America by swimming the Bering Strait, covering 134 km in an international relay over 6 days.
- Linked Asia with Europe in Turkey by crossing the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
- In 2015, alongside British swimmer Jackie Cobell, he swam across the Falkland Islands for a message of peace.
- He connected Europe with Africa by swimming across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco.
- He linked Asia with Oceania by swimming the Bismark Sea between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
- He connected Asia with Africa by crossing the Gulf of Aqaba between Jordan and Egypt.
- In 2019, he began the Ocean's Seven challenge, swimming across seven straits and channels around the world.
- He was named one of the World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men in 2019 by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
After conquering these feats of open water swimming, Matias has now turned his focus to giving back to the sport that has given him so much. “I created the first Argentine NGO called NADANDO ARGENTINA where I am dedicated to changing the history of Argentine swimming. After getting to know in depth what sport means in people's lives, like in my own, my main objective is to invite others to connect with water. How? Swimming. That is why NADANDO ARGENTINA is the first non-profit organization created to search for talent, grant scholarships, connect and articulate with potential swimmers who are ambassadors of Argentina in the world.”
He is currently working on bringing the Winter Swimming World Cup to Argentina to showcase the natural beauty of Patagonia to the world and put Argentina on the global Swimming map. “I think I feel more responsible for the actions I take every day. I feel grateful for the opportunity to act to change something as important as people's lives through swimming. I think that connecting with tourism, sports, and companies of all kinds also strengthens our ability to take great action in favor of the community.”
His philosophy is inspiring, “Be creative and create your own paths from scratch. Enjoy the journey. Don't give up when you knock on 100 doors. One can always open.”
We are proud to partner with Matias and support his journey of showcasing the wonder of swimming and our oceans to the world.
“I am very happy to meet Luminox. I love watches and I have never owned an all-terrain watch. For Luminox to recognize this history and these efforts is a great honor for me.”
Read our full interview with Matias in the link below:
https://uk.luminox.com/blogs/news/everyday-hero-matias-ola
Every hero needs a hero
Gift a Luminox
