Lewis Pugh, the first UN Patron of the Oceans, has just endorsed Neil Agius on his mammoth, world record swim attempt across two continents.

Sometime between 26th June to 7th July, Agius will be swimming from Tunisia to Sicily, crossing a treacherous 150 kilometre migrant channel in order to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the ocean.

And his monumental feat has caught the eye of British-South African endurance swimmer, and UN Patron of the Oceans, Lewis Pugh.

“There are only a handful of swimmers in the whole world who could swim 153 kilometres, but there’s only one who had the courage to go for it,” he said in a video endorsement.

As the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world, Pugh knows what it takes to spend ungodly hours in the water with nothing but you, your mind and your swimming strokes.

“In order to be able to do this swim, Neil requires heart and what I mean by heart is not the actual pumping heart, but a deep profound reason for doing this swim,” he continued.

Neil will face harsh environments, tides, currents, wildlife and oil tankers on his 45 to 50 hour swim

And in preparation for the world record attempt, Neil will be doing a warm-up swim around Gozo on three consecutive days (1st, 2nd and 3rd June) – an incredible feat on its own.

Neil will be embarking on his historic swim in order to raise awareness for Wave of Change – an initiative founded by the man himself in a bid to raise awareness about the need to safeguard Malta’s environment and to inspire and support people looking to leave a positive impact on their surroundings.

Tag someone who loves a good challenge