Once again attempting to break a world record, ex-Olympian Neil Agius has expanded his activist efforts beyond the marina and onto land with three new initiatives.
Agius will attempt to swim 160km in 70 hours in June from Mallorca to the eastern coast of Ibiza during a brief weather window that will see the daring athlete swim some 175,000 strokes, a challenge no other human has ever attempted before.
Speaking at a conference on Friday, Agius explained that his latest awareness-raising swim, in collaboration with his eNGO Wave of Change, focuses on three new and distinct pillars: Live for Change, Dress for Change and Eat for Change.
“Just jump aboard, pick a challenge, and get others to do it,” Agius said.
Dress for Change asks people to make sustainable fashion choices such as swapping clothes with friends or family members, prioritising environmentally friendly materials and borrowing clothes.
The Eat for Change pillar encourages people to change their diets by prioritising local produce and limiting their consumption of red meat.
Live for Change is broader in scope and encourages sustainable lifestyles. This includes using energy and water efficiently while building on the NGO’s previous campaign of having people pick up plastic, sharing their efforts on social media and challenging others to do the same.
“I’m not asking for big change. I am doing the big swim, you can do the small change,” he said.
More campaign initiatives and activities will be announced in the build-up to Agius’s swim.
Titled the 100 Mile Swim, Agius said that his endurance, strength and mental resistance will all be tested as he hopes to achieve what will be his most ambitious challenge yet.
Agius will be supported by 25 volunteers and professionals who will follow him during the challenge to ensure his safety as the activist aims to bring issues such as ocean and marine conservation into the public’s perception, he said at a boat show last week.
However, although Agius and the team are not looking for financial aid, they are currently short a boat for their summer swim and have asked anyone with a spare boat to lend a vessel for the cause.
'It's not for the title'
In 2021, Agius attempted to break the world record for the longest ocean swim which saw the endurance-athlete travel 125.7km in 52 hours and 10 minutes.
However, the aquatic trip from Linosa, Lampedusa to Gozo is still being verified by the Marathon Swimmers Federation so, despite Agius swimming further than current record holder Chloe McCardel, his attempt has yet to become official.
“Luckily, for me, I don’t do it to be the world record holder, to own this title,” Agius told Times of Malta.
The swimmer is instead focusing on the meaning behind his efforts rather than the history books.
“The only way to not think about it is to do another one.
“If I was doing it for the record, I would be fighting and investing my time into getting the one I already did. Instead, I am moving forward and thinking of the future.”
The 100 Mile swim is supported by the Mallorca Preservation Foundation as well as Wave of Change Malta, Ocibar Marinas and the Palma International Boat Show. It is sponsored by Atlas Insurance and Visit Malta.
Atlas Insurance CEO Matthew von Brockdorff spoke on how proud he and the company are to stand behind Agius.
"We’ve chosen to work with Neil as his values truly resonate with our own and for his ability to inspire people to recognise their best abilities and use them to make our world a better place,” he said.
At the conference, plastic pens with Atlas Insurance’s logo and the slogan #thinkgreen printed on them were left out for those attending.
The pens are made with recycled plastic and are able to be recycled, a spokesperson for the company said. Reducing is the first and foremost step in the three Rs of recycling, followed by reusing and finally recycling.