The Sea Breeze city resort will host the first Azerbaijani stage of the international OCEANMAN open-water swimming series on September 3-5, 2027. It will be the first competition of this format ever held in the country.
The OCEANMAN Azerbaijan project has been launched by the company Caspian Aqua Challenge, with support from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Azerbaijan Swimming Federation and Dream Group International. The event will bring together professional athletes, amateur swimmers and foreign guests.
On October 27, the race course was put to a test run. Polish ultramarathon swimmer Bartłomiej Kubkowski and Boris Najafov, the first Azerbaijani athlete to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar, covered a 10-kilometre distance in the water basin in front of The Grand aparthotel on the Sea Breeze grounds. In August 2026, Kubkowski swam non-stop across the Baltic Sea from Sweden to Poland, covering about 160 kilometres and spending more than 55 hours in the water. Najafov, for his part, swam the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia this September, covering a 25-kilometre there-and-back distance.
On October 29, the project was presented to the public at the Sea Breeze Grand Hall, where a press conference was held. Elnur Mammadov, head of the Sports Department at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, who attended the event, said Baku’s designation as the 2026 World Capital of Sport reflects global recognition of the country’s achievements in sport, and that hosting the OCEANMAN event can be seen as a continuation of that trajectory.
Jala Ahmadova, vice-president of the Azerbaijan Swimming Federation, said the project aims to teach people of all ages to swim and to make the sport accessible to everyone. OCEANMAN founder Fermin Egido named supporting the development of the local community and popularising open-water swimming in the country among the project’s priorities.
Sabina Mammadova, executive director of OCEANMAN Azerbaijan, said the project seeks both to attract foreign tourists and athletes to Baku and to give Azerbaijani swimmers a more active presence on the international stage. Kubkowski described Sea Breeze as a highly suitable venue for this type of competition. Najafov pointed to the comfortable water temperature and the absence of strong currents, noting that the route will also pass by the Caspian Dream Liner architectural complex.
Race distances and registration
The OCEANMAN series is held in more than 35 countries worldwide, with participants ranging in age from 7 to 75. The Azerbaijani stage will include the main 10-kilometre OCEANMAN distance, the 5-kilometre HALF OCEANMAN, the 2-kilometre SPRINT, the OCEANKIDS event for children, the OCEANTEAMS team race, and OCEANMAN INSPIRATION, a charity swim for children with special needs.
Registration opened on October 29, with a 25% discount for those who sign up within the first 48 hours.
About Sea Breeze
The Sea Breeze city resort hosts more than 100 events a year, ranging from music festivals to sporting competitions. The venue is about 20 minutes from central Baku and 15 minutes from the airport.
