In this book you’ll read the impressive story of this die-hard. — Veronica Magazine

Quite a recommendation. — NPO Radio 2

Five years ago in Indonesia, it seemed that she was swimming towards her death. Now, triathlete Els Visser (29) has qualified for the Ironman in Hawaii.  —  NRC Handelsblad

She survived a shipwreck, swam eight hours for her life and then became a triathlete. Someone like her has something meaningful to say about resilience and trusting yourself.  — Happinez

Els Visser barely survived a shipwreck in Indonesia four years ago. This Sunday, she won her first Ironman triathlon in Maastricht. Her triathlon victory was the latest chapter in the eventful life of Visser, which took a drastic turn four years ago during her trip to Indonesia.  — de Volkskrant

In Bali, Els Visser outlived a shipwreck. She swam for more than eight hours before she reached an uninhabited island. The euphoria of surviving turned out to be addictive – Els decided to become a professional triathlete, and recently also obtained her PhD in medicine. — JAN

The story of the castaway Els Visser sounds like a movie screenplay. After swimming eight hours she waited an entire night on an island to be rescued. What happens to you if you survive such a disaster? “It’s good to feel that moment of agony every now and then”. — AD Magazine

In ‘Geen zee te hoog’ the shipwreck is described in great and suffocating detail. — AD Magazine

Four days after Els is rescued, she arrives safe and sound at Schiphol Airport. It is a touching scene in the book, where all her loved ones are waiting for her. — AD Magazine

I live in the moment and make the most of it. I think that is the most important lesson I have learned: dare to live. — Els Visser in Santé

The adrenaline in my body pushed away the tiredness and pain. I was only focused on my goal. A goal that we reached after eight long hours of swimming. We swam away in the early morning and arrived just before sunset. With our last strengths we swam against the current and set foot on the solid ground of the island. I will never forget that first step. — Els Visser in Grazia

During every triathlon I endure a fraction of what I felt back then. — Els Visser in Trouw Tijdsgeest

When I am near the sea, I always descend to that moment in my thoughts. To those hours that I was swimming towards that little dot at the horizon. I feel the experience from then through my body again and I am flooded with emotions. With the sand under my bare feet I am reminded of the fact that I will not let this life pass me by. — Els Visser in Trouw Tijdgeest

The lesson that Els learned from the shipwreck, and which she wants to pass on to others as an inspirational speaker: “Grab an opportunity when it comes along. Do not think endlessly whether it is a good idea. Just try it”. — NRC

Els describes her experiences from 2014 and as a triathlete in her book ‘Geen zee the hoog’ (‘No sea too high’). An ambitious title for a very ambitious person. — Eva Jinek

That feeling of ‘not given up’ and ‘just continue until you reach the coast’ I still use every now and then during races. There is always a way to make it to the finish. And it is liberating to be able to rely on yourself like that. — Els Visser in interview Eva Jinek

A great recommendation. In ‘Geen zee the hoog’ everything is beautifully tied together: Els’ life before the shipwreck, the extreme task she faced on sea and everything that followed after. — E-reader recommendation of NPO Radio 2

In ‘Geen zee te hoog’ Els Visser writes about her experience surviving a shipwreck. She takes you along to the moment everything in her life changed, physically as well as mentally. Because the disaster made her realize how important mental resilience is. Nowadays, she uses the power she discovered in herself that day, to push her boundaries in daily life.

Her extraordinary experience taught Els to trust her body and her stamina. After getting back to the Netherlands she kept studying medicine, but she had also discovered her true talent: the Ironman triathlon which includes a 3,8 km swim, 180 km of cycling and running a marathon of 42,2 km. She decides to become a professional triathlete, becomes Dutch champion in 2018 and just three years after her very first race she ranks high in the world championship in Kona, Hawaii. 

When she feels like quitting in the middle of a race, she knows that she has a little more to give; because ultimately she survived eighteen hours in open water. In Geen zee te hoog she tells how everyone can reach their goals with the right mindset. She wants to motivate others, with herself as a striking example, and shows you that you’re capable of more than you think, maybe even everything, as long as you trust in yourself and your abilities.