Double The Wave Challenge, 153 km By Neil Agius
Courtesy of Wave of Change.
Slowly but surely, Neil Agius is swimming further and further, and making a greater and greater impact.
After representing his country of Malta in the 400m freestyle at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Agius completed a 38 km circumnavigation swim around Gozo in 10 hours in 2010.
In 2018, he stepped up his game and completed a 70 km circumnavigation swim around Malta in 21 hours 52 minutes.
In 2020, Agius completed a Century Swim, 100 km from Sicily to Malta swim in 28 hours 7 minutes. The 34-year-old departed from Sicily from Punta Braccetto in the province of Ragusa at 5:15 am and arrived at St Julian’s Water Polo & Aquatic Club in Malta the following day at 9:24 am. His swim was part of the Wave of Change movement which raises awareness about marine pollution and threats to marine habitats.
The environmental activist continues to go after an even bigger challenge when he will swim from Africa (Tunisia) to Europe (Sicily) in a 153 km swim in July that may take him up to 60 hours.
In support of Agius’ attempt, Wave of Change have also launched the Double The Wave Challenge, with a goal of collectively picking up 1 million pieces of plastic. Wave of Change has a dual goal: collect plastic rubbish from local areas, and encourage physical activity in people’s everyday lives. People may join in by taking part in the Double the Wave Challenge campaign and be proud of their contribution to a cleaner, healthier and safer today and tomorrow.
Interested in becoming a #Wavemaker and creating a Wave of Change forMalta and Gozo and its beautiful surrounding waters? Participation includes 3 simple steps:
- Pick up 6 pieces of plastic anytime, anyplace
- Snap a photo showing your 6 pieces of plastic collected and tag #DoubletheWave
- Nominate 6 other people to join in and let’s see the ripple effect of your helping hand
Agius says, “Since the start of the current global pandemic, we have seen an increased amount of waste littering our environment, particularly in our beaches and countryside. We need double the effort to get back on track. We are asking people to join in to help us reach this goal. Whether walking to the bus stop, on your daily jog or walking the dog, pick up 6 pieces of plastic and stop them from polluting our beloved waters. Don’t wait until you’re at the beach. Do it now. In your local neighborhood.”
For more information, visit neilagius.com and waveofchangemalta.com.
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