You would need to have been living in a cave to have missed all the recent news stories about Neil Agius and his epic, world-record breaking 142.3 km swim around the Maltese islands. Ultra-endurance athlete and clean seas activist Neil set the official new World Record for the longest unassisted ocean swim in 60 hours 35 minutes, starting from Mellieha Bay on Saturday 21st September and finishing at Għar Lapsi the following Sunday evening, and iGEN were proud to be one of his sponsors.

The rules for these long-distance swims are very clear; No sleeping. No stopping. No wetsuit. No touching the boat. Neil set off from Mellieħa shortly after 9am. He swam out from the bay accompanied by a squad of young swimmers and a support team that included medical staff and his long-term partner Lara Vella, who has been at Neil’s side from the beginning. He headed southeast and swam along a route running clockwise around Malta – he swam throughout the night, and on Sunday he rounded Gozo, before heading back towards Malta.

Off the coast of Marsaxlokk, after 52 hours of continuous swimming, he broke the previous world record of 127km – which he himself had set back in 2021 by swimming from Linosa, Sicily to Xlendi in Gozo. This was Neil’s first attempt at breaking that record after he was forced to abandon a similar swim in Spain last year.

“Wave of Change is extremely grateful for the donation received by IGEN, with the support of the private sector we are able to spread our message and continue to inspire the Maltese community to make more sustainable choices. The sea that surrounds our island sustains our wellbeing and needs to be respected, as we will only understand what we have lost when it is too late.” Neil Agius.

Neil came ashore at Ghar Lapsi at 9:35pm. He climbed a ladder out of the water as the crowd waited in silence. Medical responders covered him in blankets and gave him a check-up before he walked up the slipway amid cheers from the crowd. He was greeted by Prime Minister Robert Abela and MPs from both sides of the political aisle.

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola in a Facebook post said this was a superhuman feat and Neil Agius was “The personification of ‘Never Give Up’. An inspiration to all of us.”

Photos: Andrew Mercieca

Neil used the swim to raise awareness about the state of Malta’s marine habitat, both through his own NGO Wave of Change, and in collaboration with other local NGOs and volunteers. The event also saw some 790kg of marine waste collected in cleanups organised in Spinola Bay and St Thomas Bay.

When he was just 18 years old, Neil represented Malta at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Neil has held three Maltese records each in the 400, 800, and 1500 m freestyle, and in August 2021, he was honoured with the creation of a 266 kg bronze statue in his likeness, by artist Austin Camilleri.

“iGEN is proud to support Neil in his incredible efforts to raise awareness about our ocean environment.” Enrico Bradamante

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