As if swimming from Sicily to Malta isn’t enough of a feat, Maltese ultra-endurance swimmer Neil Agius has just announced his next world record attempt – swimming across two continents. 

For the first time in history, one man will be attempting to swim from Tunisia to Sicily – a gruelling distance of 150 kilometres in the cold, Mediterranean water.

That’s an additional 50 kilometres of swimming when compared to his Sicily to Malta swim, with the added challenge of crossing a treacherous channel known for being a busy shipping trail and a notorious route for migrant crossings. 

Neil Agius explains his upcoming world record-breaking challenge, sponsored by Which Beach.

“It’s definitely more dangerous, from fishing to reefs that we need to be careful of because there is obviously the shipping lane as well,” Neil said.

The monumental swim will take Neil between 45 and 50 hours to complete, or so he predicts. With the weather being the way it is, there’s no telling what could happen out there. The only thing Neil can do is prepare, and prepare well, and leave the rest up to fate. 

And the ultra-endurance swimmer is doing just that. 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.

“When I spend so much time in the sea, you really get a good connection with the ocean and you could see it suffocating in plastic, in waste that is there,” he said. “We really need to educate the public not only how to dispose of their plastic but for them to change their habits, use less plastic, watch what they’re buying from the supermarket”. 

Neil will be swimming to raise awareness for Wave of Change – an initiative founded by Agius 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.

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