Updated: Athlete Neil Agius sets off on world-record swim attempt

Ultra-endurance athlete and clean seas activist Neil Agius waded into the crystal clear waters of Mellieħa Bay shortly after 9am on Saturday morning, setting off on what he hopes will be a new world record swim.

Joined by crowds of supporters, Agius looked out at the blue horizon, took a deep breath, and set off to cheers of support.   

He swam out from the bay accompanied by a squad of young swimmers and a team of support crew that included skippers, medical staff, and other volunteers.

He headed southeast and will swim along a route that wraps clockwise around Malta and will eventually lead across the channel to Gozo before heading back to Malta for the final stretch.

The route around the entire archipelago is around 100 km, but Agius plans to swim further 60km to cover a total distance of 160km.

You can track Agius' progress in realtime, here.

It is expected to take Agius three days to complete the challenge, during which time he is not permitted to make physical contact with any of the support boats. 

He will eat and drink every 30 minutes, all while remaining in the water.

If successful, Agius will break the current world record for the longest non-stop, unassisted, current neutral sea swim, which he himself holds. 

Neil set a world record when he swam from Linosa to Malta covering a distance of 125.7km in 2021.

Since then, there have been several attempts but no one has managed to break this record officially.

This is Agius' first attempt at breaking the record after he was forced to abandon a similar swim in Spain last year.

Designed by celebrated artist and designer Ed Dingli, the t-shirts feature typical Maltese topography in the outline of a whale. 

Swim powers marine clean ups: Join in

Agius is using the swim to raise awareness about the state of Malta's marine habitat aiming to raise awareness about critical environmental issues and inspire a collective commitment to protecting the Mediterranean Sea.

In collaboration with NGO Wave of Change and marine clean-up specialists Żibel, three clean-up events are being held.

On Saturday, at 10 am, Żibel will be clearing out Spinola Bay, St Julian's.  

At 10 am on Sunday, a clean up will be held at St Thomas Bay, Marsascala. 

And a final clean up will be held at Ġnejna Bay, Imgarr, at 3pm on Monday.  

The public can register their interest here and they will be informed by email once the location and times are confirmed.

Spaces are limited to 50 people per clean-up, so the public are being encouraged to register their interest as soon as possible and join in.

With over 149,500kgs of waste collected by Żibel over the years, the problem is far from solved.

Harnessing 'The Ocean Mindset'

Central to Agius' preparation has been his self-developed 'Ocean Mindset' technique - a mental framework that complements his intense physical training.

This set of tools helps Agius stay mentally sharp, navigate challenges, and confront the unexpected obstacles that come with this kind of world-first attempt. There is no blueprint for a swim of this magnitude, and Agius has trained his mind to handle the unprecedented.

Lead partner, GO, who are powering the swim and all Neil's endeavours for the next three years will be teaming up with Agius to offer The Ocean Mindset tools for all their team members to help them manage stress, communicate more effectively and take care of their wellbeing.

The Small Island, Big Swim is also supported by VisitMalta, Atlas Insurance and Cisk 0.0, as well as Kia, Garmin and Maypole.