An international swimmer from Morocco, Hassan Baraka, was felicitated in Riyadh for creating awareness about environmental protection through swimming across the oceans linking the world’s five continents, braving freezing temperatures in Alaska and shark-infested waters in the Red Sea.

Baraka’s unusual expedition was to highlight the protection of environment.

Hassan Baraka, 27, is the world’s youngest Arab Muslim to successfully complete this challenge. He first swam from Europe to Africa (Spain-Morocco) last year in July through the Strait of Gibraltar. This successful venture prompted him to embark on the project which continued this July when he swam from Asia-Europe (Turkey) through the Strait of Bosporus.

In August, he crossed the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska linking Asia and America. Then in September, he swam through Oceania-Asia (Papua New Guinea-Indonesia) and the final leg of his journey was to swim from Africa to Asia in the stretch of water which borders Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He swam from Dahab in the Gulf of Aqaba arriving in Magna, Tabuk this month.

During the project, he spoke on and educated people about environmental protection and did special beach cleaning activities with children in all the continents he visited.