Saudi woman swims across Red Sea to draw attention to coral reefs
Mariam bin Laden became the first Arab woman to swim across the Red Sea and reach Egypt, accompanying UN Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh, part of a campaign to raise awareness of the need to preserve coral reefs amid climate change.
CAIRO — In mid-October, Saudi swimmer Mariam bin Laden swam across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to Egypt in an effort to raise awareness and draw attention to the importance of preserving coral reefs, before Egypt hosts the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in November.
She became the first Arab and Saudi woman to swim across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to Egypt.
Bin Laden accompanied British swimmer Lewis Pugh, who is doing a longer 160-kilometer swim through the Red Sea, starting from Tiran Island in Saudi Arabia, passing through Sharm el-Sheikh, where the COP27 will be held, until he reaches Hurghada in Egypt, to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on coral reefs.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya channel on Oct. 16, bin Laden said, “What worried me the most was encountering sharks in the Red Sea, some of which could be very dangerous. But Pugh said he had a Shark Shield device, which creates an electromagnetic field to deter shark attacks.”
