Karl Bushby, a former paratrooper from Hull, has completed a 186-mile (300km) swim across the Caspian Sea in his attempt to travel around the world without using any form of transport. Bushby set off from Chile in 1998 and has already walked across the American and Asian continents. He is more than two thirds of the way into the 36,000-mile journey. Bushby found himself “trapped” on the east side of the Caspian Sea because he is unable to enter Russia or Iran at present due to tensions with the West. The only escape route was to swim across the world’s largest inland body of water.
The adventurer first attempted the Caspian swim in 2023 after marching through the desert for 1,000 miles, but he failed to get support from safety officials. After the Azerbaijani government stepped in to help, he was accompanied by members of the coastguard and two swimmers from the national team. The swim took 31 days to complete.
Bushby, who has limited swimming experience, previously crossed the Bering Strait by navigating moving lumps of ice while wearing an immersion suit and armed with a gun to fight off polar bears. He said he had “never imagined” swimming across an open sea when he embarked on his epic challenge to circumnavigate the globe without transport.
Bushby’s journey, known as the Goliath Expedition, began at the southern tip of Chile. He walked north to the coast of Alaska before crossing to Siberia in 2006. The adventure was meant to take 12 years but has lasted 27, which he admitted “was not on the cards”. However, he is now on the cusp of returning to Europe and hopes to finish in Hull at some time in the next year.
According to Bushby, returning home will be a mix of emotions. He has had a “life on the road” for over two decades, and he said he couldn’t express what it’s been like to see the world and meet the people in it. Those interested in his journey can listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or watch the latest episode of Look North
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