Autistic open water swimmer faces his toughest challenge yet
Published on 05 March 2025
Eric Robertsen is pushing boundaries with open water swimming and autism advocacy by taking on a series of ultra-marathon swimming challenges to raise £50,000 for our charity.
Eric, 52, who is the head of Global Research at an international bank, was diagnosed as autistic in 2022. His journey started more than three years ago when his son, now 15, received an autism diagnosis. Seeing similar autistic traits in himself, Eric decided to get assessed and he was formally diagnosed at 49 years-old.
After taking on an epic swim challenge in 2023, Eric is back this year, pushing himself even further. He will be competing in four open water endurance swimming races, across the world, with an eye on raising £50,000 for our charity.
"Open water swimming and being autistic both have that sense of the world around you being unpredictable and a bit chaotic. The test is how you navigate that and start to build coping mechanisms."
Eric’s epic challenges
- 13th - 15th March 2025 - A 30km swim around Dubai’s World Islands, partnered with another swimmer and sponsored by Spinneys.
- 16th - 19th May 2025 - A 33km challenge over 4 days in Croatia, including a demanding 22km swim in a single day.
- August 2025 - A prestigious swim around the Statue of Liberty in New York, alongside Navy SEALs.
- 19th - 22nd September 2025 - A final 33km endurance challenge in Greece over four days.
Making a difference
With his enthusiasm for open water swimming and autism awareness, Eric hopes to inspire others to become their own best advocates and initiate meaningful conversations about autism to increase understanding and acceptance.
"Since my diagnosis, the knowledge I’ve gained has been an incredible relief and I’ve learnt a lot about myself. The notion of autistic burnout is really debilitating and if you understand the triggers and repercussions, you can build up your defences or resilience."
"We want to thank Eric for all his incredible support over the last 18 months. His challenges not only raise vital funds for our charity, but also get people talking about autism. As does Eric himself, who is championing more conversations about autism inclusivity within his workplace. Truly amazing! It’s important that autistic people and their families are understood, supported and accepted in their communities, schools and workplaces. Thanks to fundraisers like Eric, our charity is able to encourage better understanding of autism across society, which will help transform hundreds of thousands of lives. Thank you, Eric."
Follow Eric’s journey
On Instagram @swimfree2023
On his JustGiving page
Read more about Eric in his Stories from the Spectrum