Ultra-endurance swimming World record holder and ocean activist Neil Agius is coming to the Balearics this summer, attempting to break his own record with a world-first unassisted swim from Mallorca to Ibiza.

A true endeavour of physical and mental endurance, the Palma to Ibiza swim will challenge what we know to be possible, and for Neil, “stopping isn’t an option”. If successful, this will be the very first 100 mile/160km non-stop, unassisted, current neutral ocean swim ever completed – a first for Neil, a first for the Balearics and a first for the world.

Unlike other ultra-endurance challenges, Neil will not sleep. Battling sleep deprivation, he will swim 24 hours a day for the entirety of the challenge, he won’t touch the support boat at any time during the 70+ hours that he is in the water, nor will he wear any buoyancy aids, fins or even a wet suit.

This year’s world record attempt follows several successful challenges for Agius:

2018 –  first ultra-distance unassisted open water swim, circling the island of Malta in a 70km, 22-hour endurance feat.

2019 –  completed a new endeavour around Gozo, with a distance of 37km in 10hrs.

2020 –  swam 101km in 28hrs from Sicily to Malta.

2021 –  biggest challenge to date and his first world record-breaking swim. 125km in 52 hours from Linosa, Italy to Malta.

‍Cheered on by his fiancée, Lara, and a team of 24 support crew, Neil reached the shores of Malta after a gruelling 2 days of non-stop, unaided swimming, completed without a wetsuit, without sleep, and only essential sustenance to keep going.

‍Each of these incredible undertakings has been accomplished in trepidatious conditions. Neil has faced days and nights of freezing, rough waters, countless jellyfish stings, and the fear of sharks and ocean predators. But he keeps going. Every time the challenges get bigger, bolder, more dangerous, and more physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. And every time he wants to do better than the last.

36-year-old Neil is a former Olympic athlete who competed in the 400m Freestyle at the Athens 2004 games and set up a successful swimming academy before switching his focus to ocean ultra-endurance competition. An unpleasant encounter with a black plastic bag whilst swimming in his home waters around the Mediterranean island of Malta spurred him on to highlight the urgent need for action in the preservation of our oceans and create the ‘Wave of Change Malta’ foundation.

This summer’s Balearic challenge is due to set off from the southwest of Mallorca at the end of June, swimming towards Ibiza, approaching the White Isle, and circumventing the North West coast to finally touch down on the famous sands of Platja d’en Bossa.

The swim brings about a unique opportunity to share Neil’s mission to change people’s relationship with the sea, give the ocean a voice and strive to change mindsets on a global scale. There is still an opportunity for companies to be involved and support Neil, and you can reach out to his team at NeilAgius.com.