When business magnate and environmental activist Richard Branson challenged Adrian Grenier to a two-mile swim across the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily, the actor-filmmaker was eager to comply.

The feat was intended to highlight the importance of ocean health, a key cause of Grenier’s Lonely Whale Foundation, which works to bring people closer to the world’s oceans through education and awareness, and champions the well-being of marine wildlife.

“We want to inspire empathy with people through connection, because if you can’t connect you can’t care, and the oceans have so much need for our attention and our compassion and our empathy,” Grenier said.