Undaunted by his injury and fitted with a prosthetic, Hassiem swam in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and is training for the 2012 London games. He has set numerous records in his country and in Africa and is the world champion for the Paralympics 200-meter butterfly. He received the Bravery Award from Prince Michael of Kent on behalf of the Royal Lifesaving Society.
He became a shark advocate for the Pew Environment Group when he traveled to the United Nations in 2010 to press for shark conservation.