Photo courtesy of www.lannonharley.com

James Pittar and the Ocean's Seven

Meet James Pittar - blind marathon swimmer, father of one, Australia Day Ambassador and an Extreme Fundraiser for The Fred Hollows Foundation.

My name is James Pittar. I am a blind Australian marathon swimmer and I have a dream.

My dream is to be the first person to swim all seven of the world’s most difficult marathon ocean swims.

Known as  the ‘Ocean’s Seven’, these open water marathons require an ability to swim in both very cold and very warm seas. Having already successfully completed four swims (Catalina Channel, 2006; Cook Strait, 2004; Gibraltar Strait, 2002; English Channel, 1998), I have three remaining challenges:

  • Irish Sea, Scotland to Ireland
  • Tsugaru Channel, Japan
  • Moloka’i Channel, Hawaii

As I have done in the past, I would like to raise funds for The Fred Hollows Foundation whilst completing the ‘Ocean’s Seven’ swims. Your support is critical to the success of this challenge. To make my dream a reality and to support the work of The Fred Hollows Foundation, I need your help.

I think the work The Foundation does is terrific. It's incredible that such a simple operation can allow people to see again. Although it is not relevant in my situation, the idea that you remove cataracts for such a small amount of money is amazing.

Photo courtesy of James Pittar
James with Penny Tribe, The Foundation's National Corporate and Community Relations Coordinator, after the Sydney Harbour Swim.

> Visit James' website

> Meet other Extreme Fundraisers

> If you would like to support James by donating to The Fred Hollows Foundation, please follow this link and be sure to specify "James Pittar" from the dropdown list of names.