Open Water Races take place on November 25–28. Click each day for logistics, swims, curated moments.
Morocco Swim Trek & BUOYOND
Saturday, November 21st, 2026
— #SwimTheSahara (Casablanca, Day 1)
Recommended transfer to Downtown Casablanca:
- Taxi (airport official taxis)
- Train (Airport train → Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port)
- Private transfer (optional add-on) for comfort + smooth logistics
📍 Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gg4YBprNNFyQDUs96
- 3★ ibis Casablanca City Center
- 4.5★ Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche
- 5★ Royal Mansour Casablanca Hotel (27 Avenue des Forces Armées Royales)
- Shower / change
- Light snack & hydration
- Bring: sunglasses, walking shoes, light jacket, small backpack
⏳ Duration: ~ 1 hour
Tour includes:
- Prayer Hall
- Minaret Hall
- Ablution Hall
- Comfortable outfit respectful for the visit
- Arrive 10 minutes early to avoid missing the group
- Healthy casual lunch (salads / protein / hydration)
- Moroccan lunch (tagine / grilled fish / fresh juices)
- Quick business lunch (if the group prefers to start discussions early)
- Elevator Pitch: Who am I and what audience do I want to reach?
- Communication Strategy: What is the best approach during this camp to create impact?
- Pros & Cons: What works / what to improve (real feedback culture)
- Leadership Focus: Lead in a way that aligns the team rather than overwhelms it — what do I want to achieve?
Focus:
- Light endurance
- Technique check
- Travel recovery swim
- Team pace introduction
- Swimwear + goggles
- Towel
- Hydration
- Optional swim cap
- Quick briefing for Day 2
- Early sleep (important to recover)
Sunday, November 22nd, 2026
— #SwimTheSahara (Casablanca, Day 2)
- Energy level
- Travel fatigue
- Goals for the day
- Breathing control
- Stroke efficiency
- Pacing & endurance building
- Confidence training for open-water days
- Beginner / comfort group
- Intermediate
- Performance group
- Stretching
- Light strength / activation
- Injury prevention
- Hydration plan
- Grilled protein + carbs
- Fruits + hydration
- Avoid heavy fried meals
- Personal positioning (who you are + what you stand for)
- Building your story during the camp (photo/video presence)
- Speaking to media / sponsors (simple & strong message)
- Teamwork under pressure
- Corniche walk
- Café moment
- Ocean sunset photos
- Flight timing + airport arrival recommendation
- Luggage checklist
- Swim gear checklist
- Hydration & sleep rules
Monday, November 23rd, 2026
— (Casablanca → Dakhla, Day 3)
- Airport arrival 2 hours before flight
- Keep swim essentials in hand luggage (goggles, swimsuit, small nutrition)
✅ On arrival, the team regroup and assist with:
- Baggage
- Transfers
- Check-in coordination
- Camp overview
- Safety rules
- Ocean/wind conditions explanation
- Daily rhythm (wake-up / meals / swims / recovery)
- Role clarity (coaches, safety, team structure)
- Goggles + spare
- Anti-chafing
- Sunscreen
- Electrolytes
- Wetsuit if needed
- Beach walk
- Mobility session
- Breathwork / mental preparation
- Short water familiarization
- Hydration
- Calm nervous system
- Sleep for performance
Tuesday, November 24th, 2026
— #SwimTheSahara (Dakhla, Day 4)
- Weather update
- Swim route explanation
- Safety plan + escort rules
- Time targets / pace groups
- Entering Sahara ocean conditions safely
- Teamwork + pacing
- Controlling breathing under wind/chop
- Hydration plan mid-session
- Electrolyte drink
- Protein + carbs
- Stretching
- Rest
- What worked
- What needs adjustment
- Individual corrections (breathing / stroke / sighting)
- Chill at the beach
- Photos + content capture
- Nap / massage / stretching
- Highlights
- Mindset wins
- Tomorrow’s swim plan
1st Race Day - Dragon Island
— Wednesday, November 25th, 2026
- 6,5km #SwimTheSahara Large 33KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 13 - 5km)
- 6,5km #SwimTheSahara Classic 30KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 10 - 5km)
- 4,5km #SwimTheSahara Small 19,5KM (4,5 - 5,5 - 6 - 3km)
2nd Race Day - White Dune
— Thursday, November 26th, 2026
- 8,5km #SwimTheSahara Large 33KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 13 - 5km)
- 8,5km #SwimTheSahara Classic 30KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 10 - 5km)
- 5,5km #SwimTheSahara Small 19,5KM (4,5 - 5,5 - 6 - 3km)
10k Marathon Day + Spa
— Friday, November 27th, 2026
- 10km #SwimTheSahara Large 33KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 13 - 5km)
- 13km #SwimTheSahara Classic 30KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 10 - 5km)
- 6km #SwimTheSahara Small 19,5KM (4,5 - 5,5 - 6 - 3km)
- ✅ Massage
- ✅ Sauna
- ✅ Spa facilities
- ✅ Hammam
- ✅ 6.5k Impact day
- ✅ 8.5k Toughtest day
- ✅ 10k / 13k Reaching the finish line
4th Race - Dolphins Day
— Saturday, November 28th, 2026
- 5km #SwimTheSahara Large 33KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 13 - 5km)
- 5km #SwimTheSahara Classic 30KM (6,5 - 8,5 - 10 - 5km)
- 3km #SwimTheSahara Small 19,5KM (4,5 - 5,5 - 6 - 3km)
Sunday, November 29th, 2026
— #SwimTheSahara (Dakhla, Day 9)
- Elevator Pitch: How has it changed you?
- Communication Strategy: How does this camp create impact?
- Pros & Cons: What worked well / what should be improved (honest feedback culture)
- Leadership Focus: Did you achieve your goals
SwimTheSahara this Year
Listen to Brian from California, moments after crossing the finish line.
Beyond the Buoys: Monthly Community Talks
In addition, we host a monthly online meeting for the #SwimTheSahara community. Once per month, always on the first Thursday, we come together to talk about mental strength, endurance sports, and cool startups shaping the swimming scene.
The exact time and topic are announced one week in advance, keeping it flexible and relevant. These sessions are designed to connect athletes,
founders, and curious minds in an open, high-trust setting—part inspiration, part honest conversation.
BUOYOND - Introduction by Zineb and Michael
CSS-training with FORM
Endurance athletes know the state of “flow” — now let’s talk about how to reach it.
Once you are in flow, performance feels effortless: pace stabilises, the heart rate drops, and movement becomes natural.
The challenge is that flow is difficult to reproduce on demand.
AI-based music evolves subtly over time and can be adapted to personal preferences, emotional states, and training goals. This creates a dynamic sound environment that may help athletes enter the right mindset for "the flow".
👉 January: Why BUOYOND in Open Water Swimming?
👉 February: CSS-deepdive with FORM Goggles
Critical Swim Speed (CSS) training with FORM goggles introduces a new approach to swim training. Traditionally, VO₂max and speed work are done with fixed paces and split times planned before the session starts. With FORM goggles, swimmers can interact with their Critical Swim Speed during the session.
For example, after each flip turn, the swimmer checks the split time. If the split ends in 0, 1, or 2, they swim the next length slightly below their personal CSS. If it ends in 7, 8, or 9, they swim faster. This creates a random, game-like element in training that demands constant focus.
As a result, swimmers must concentrate, listen to their bodies, and make real-time decisions. The session can then be analysed afterwards, both physically and mentally. Zineb described this approach as having a strong positive impact on mental engagement and awareness during training.
👉 March: Finding “The Flow” with AI-Based Music
Michael will share how he motivates himself to enter this state, including how he swam himself into flow during a 10 km open-water race in Montenegro at an ultraswim 33.3 race.
From there, the discussion opens to the idea of AI-based music as a possible tool to support flow during training and racing.
Host in Morocco: Zineb Ettam
Zineb brings warmth, positivity, and clarity—while holding a rigorous framework for mindset, resilience, and sustainable high performance during #SwimTheSahara. Based between Casablanca and Dakhla, Morocco, Zineb is a well-known para-athlete in triathlon and open water swimming and brings a multilingual, global perspective through her fluency in French, English, Arabic, and Chinese.
Marketing Management & Innovation
Zineb holds an MBA in Marketing Management & Innovation, earned at Chang’an University in Xi’an, China. Her academic and professional experience combines strategic marketing, digital communication, and international business development. Working across Morocco and China, she developed a strong understanding of cross-cultural markets, data-driven marketing, and brand positioning in fast-moving environments.
Triathlon & Open Water Swimming
Zineb is a well-known para-athlete in triathlon and open water swimming. Endurance sport is a central pillar of her leadership philosophy, shaping her approach to discipline, resilience, and long-term performance. Competing in demanding and unpredictable conditions, she applies the same principles of preparation, adaptability, and calm decision-making to professional and organizational contexts.
Modeling · Presence & Representation
In addition to her work in sport and business, Zineb is active in modeling, representing strength, inclusivity, and confidence. Her presence bridges performance, aesthetics, and communication, reinforcing Buoyond’s belief that leadership is not only about results, but also about visibility, representation, and authentic impact.
BUOYOND co-founder: Michael Dieckmann
Michael co-hosts #SwimTheSahara from the BUOYOND side—ensuring the experience is structured, smooth, and worthy of serious athletes and leaders. His background uniquely combines entrepreneurship, analytical performance thinking, and elite endurance sport.
Founder & Entrepreneur
Michael has founded and scaled multiple companies in digital marketing, performance-based advertising, and emerging technologies. As the founder of AHEHA, Keywords.de, and Triathlon.de GmbH, his work has focused on blockchain applications, high-efficiency marketing systems, and measurable growth models. In executive and leadership roles—including CEO/Founder, and Head of Marketing—he has driven eCommerce transformation, monetization strategies, and international growth. Together with his wife Birgit, he has also successfully invested in a Swiss cancer antibody start-up, later licensed in South Korea by LegoChem.
Chess Logic & Performance Marketing
With a chess Elo rating of 1853, Michael applies strategic thinking rooted in anticipation, probability, and long-term positioning. This analytical mindset directly informs his approach to performance marketing, where decisions are driven by data, scenarios are planned under conditions of uncertainty, resources are allocated with precision, and systems are optimized over long time horizons. For Michael, performance marketing is not about short-term wins, but about building robust, scalable systems that remain stable under pressure—much like a strong, well-prepared position on the chessboard.
Open Water Swimming
Endurance sport is not a metaphor for Michael—it is lived experience. His athletic achievements include becoming Masters World Champion in the 5 km open-water swim (55:41.27) at the Olympic Rowing Course in Munich (2000), as well as Masters European Champion in the 400m freestyle in Rome (2022) and Masters European Champion in the 3 km open-water swim in Madeira (2023). He has also achieved multiple victories at the Morocco Swim Trek 2023 and 2024 and has been winner at UltraSwim 33.3 events in Greece and Montenegro.
A shared starting point
Two simple moments set the tone for the trek: a relaxed dinner in Casablanca, then lunch in Dakhla before the first stages. You meet the people behind the brand, align on logistics, and start the journey with calm and clarity—so the water can do the rest.
👉 Sign up and Swim the Sahara
First name and email are required. Everything else is optional. Just 3 steps to Swim The Sahara!
Contact & Program Requests
You can also explore: 🌐 Morocco Swim Trek: moroccoswimtrek.com · 🌐 BUOYOND: buoyond.com
Ready for #SwimTheSahara with Morocco Swim Trek × BUOYOND? Reach out and we’ll send booking steps.
Zineb Ettam
📧 Email:
zineb@buoyond.com
📸 Instagram:
@zineb_ettam
Michael Dieckmann
📧 Email:
michael@buoyond.com
📘 Facebook:
facebook.com/dieckmann.de