Small Island Big Swim

September 21, 2024
Small Island Big Swim

The Record of Purpose

Small Island Big Swim was my attempt to show what is possible when body, mind, and purpose move in the same direction. I swam 142.3 kilometres non-stop around the Maltese islands without sleep, without support, and without being carried by any current, because I wanted to prove that a small island can make a big statement about resilience and responsibility. Breaking the world record was not the full picture. The point was honouring the sea that shaped me, raising awareness for the waters we are losing, and pushing into the unknown to see what endurance, clarity, and intention could become when tested for sixty continuous hours. This swim became a message in motion: that even from a tiny place on the map, you can go the distance, and that protecting the ocean starts with showing what it gives us in return.

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One swim, one team. Thank you to Gordon Bugeja (Team Principal), Lara Vella (Motivator, Observer and Handler), David Brookes (Principal Observer), Andre Genovese (Observer and Motivator), Simon Zammit (Technical Course Director), Elayne Cuschieri and Kristen Schembri (Motivators), Twain Cutajar, Alex Vella and Nick Diacono (RIB Drivers), Matthew Camilleri and Marc Casolani (Tender Drivers and Runners), Kurt Arrigo (Head of Media), Melanie Vella (Head of Land Crew), Andrew Micallef and Jean Claude Vella (Videographers), Maria Camilleri (Head of Social Media), Angie Galea and Angie Rogers (Lead Doctors and Handlers), Amir Chalaby (Doctor and Handler), Mark Buttigieg (Handler), Matthew Xuereb and John Winfield (Chefs), Greg Nasmyth and Steve Mercieca (Sailing Boat Olwyn), Sam Attard and Steve Bugeja (Sailing Boat Cadmus), Malcolm Booker and Patrick Calleja (Sailing Boat Sabinha), and Michele Digiglio and Angelo Alessio (Sailing Boat Yemanja).

small-island-big-swim-img1 small-island-big-swim-img2 small-island-big-swim-img3 small-island-big-swim-img4 small-island-big-swim-img5 small-island-big-swim-img6 Linosa to Malta