The Reset Rebel meets Olympic swimmer Neil Agius in Ibiza after world-record 100 mile swim attempt is called off
Episode 172, Jun 30, 2023, 03:00 AM
Ultra-endurance athlete and clean seas activist Neil Agius landed in Ibiza yesterday after deciding to voluntarily abandon his world record crossing from mallorca after suffering multiple jellyfish stings.
He encountered a swarm of jellyfish around the 46 km mark of the crossing in the
Mallorca-Ibiza channel at around 01:00 am.
After almost four hours, several stings and several attempts to resume the crossing, Agius's stings were too agonising for him to carry on his 100 mile swim to raise awareness of the UN treaty of the high seas.
It is the first-ever legally binding global agreement of its kind and provides a framework for environmental protections to biodiversity in international waters — which cover over 60% of the Earth's surface.
Only 1.2% of the world's ocean areas are currently protected which he says it is not enough.
We caught up for a quick conversation overlooking Dalt Vila and the World Unesco Heritage site that is also named due to "the dense prairies of oceanic Posidonia (seagrass), an important endemic species found only in the Mediterranean basin, contain and support a diversity of marine life."
As we gazed over the Marine protected areas of Els Freus Marine Reserve which covers more than 13,000 hectares between the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, he admitted aborting the swim was not an east decision, "It is very sad to see all the hard work we put into this challenge come to such a premature conclusion. I felt strong and ready to complete the journey, but fate had other plans."
Neil says this is far from the end of his plans and will try again, probably next year.
www.neilagius.com
Neil on instagram
He encountered a swarm of jellyfish around the 46 km mark of the crossing in the
Mallorca-Ibiza channel at around 01:00 am.
After almost four hours, several stings and several attempts to resume the crossing, Agius's stings were too agonising for him to carry on his 100 mile swim to raise awareness of the UN treaty of the high seas.
It is the first-ever legally binding global agreement of its kind and provides a framework for environmental protections to biodiversity in international waters — which cover over 60% of the Earth's surface.
Only 1.2% of the world's ocean areas are currently protected which he says it is not enough.
We caught up for a quick conversation overlooking Dalt Vila and the World Unesco Heritage site that is also named due to "the dense prairies of oceanic Posidonia (seagrass), an important endemic species found only in the Mediterranean basin, contain and support a diversity of marine life."
As we gazed over the Marine protected areas of Els Freus Marine Reserve which covers more than 13,000 hectares between the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, he admitted aborting the swim was not an east decision, "It is very sad to see all the hard work we put into this challenge come to such a premature conclusion. I felt strong and ready to complete the journey, but fate had other plans."
Neil says this is far from the end of his plans and will try again, probably next year.
www.neilagius.com
Neil on instagram