Leading photographer Kurt Arrigo shared his “awe” at being given the privilege to follow 34-year-old Neil Agius on his world record-breaking swim, describing him as an “inspiration”.
On Wednesday, Mr Agius completed a super-human feat after he swam 125km between the Italian island of Linosa to Xlendi, Gozo. The swim lasted just over 50 hours and saw the former Olympian achieve the world record for the longest continuous, unassisted, current-neutral swim along a single-segment natural route in an ocean, sea, or bay. He beat out the previous record of 124.4km held by Brit Chloe McCardel.
Mr Agius, who is also a swimming instructor, had his journey captured and followed by local leading photographer Kurt Arrigo.
Commenting on the experience, Mr Arrigo shared:
“There are moments in life that you will never forget. This is most certainly one of them. Neil Agius I am in awe of your mental strength and willpower. You are an inspiration to me and to so many.
“It was such a privilege to be with you and your team on this incredible journey.”
Several people gathered at Xlendi Bay to welcome the record-breaking swimmer, with cheers and celebrations heard booming across the bay.
Mr Agius is no stranger to super-human challenges, having been the second person in recorded history to swim from Sicily to Malta at a record-breaking 28 hours and seven minutes last year. On that occasion, Mr Arrigo also captured the incredible challenge.
The series of swims are aimed at promoting the Wave of Change initiative, which seeks to encourage people to be conscious of their environment and the amount of trash that ends up in the seas.
During this year’s Wave of Change initiative, Mr Agius asked the public to pick up six pieces of trash, and/or perform six repetitions of any exercise and share on social media, helping to raise awareness about pollution.
