A French man living in Cyprus completed his 280-kilometre swim around the Mediterranean island in 28 days on Saturday, in a personal challenge that also allowed him to raise money for charities.
On April 2, Julian Mayville left the beach of Pomos municipality (west) and arrived in the middle of April 30 to Finikoudes (southeast), thus completing the last stage of the "Cyprus Swim Tour" in the southern part of the divided island, of which the northern third is occupied by the Turkish army. Since 1974
, the 40-year-old swimmer told AFP, "Everything went well, except that three stages were more dangerous."
"While swimming around Akrotiri, there were huge waves up to two meters high, it was difficult. Between the rocks and the waves, fatigue and wind complicated this eight-hour stage," added the man, who hails from Saint-Brieuc in northwestern France.
After each stage, the Frenchman slept in his truck, which was driven by a friend who helped him re-supply.
During events along the route, such as a beach clean-up in Kourion and a conference to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change, Julien Meville raised nearly 3,000 euros that will be donated to the NGO Generation for Change to advocate for vulnerable and marginalized communities.
"I chose this association for its serious management and for a personal reason, which is to receive and help refugees," Mayville said.
The Republic of Cyprus, a member state of the European Union, has seen a huge influx of migrants in recent years, most of them Syrians fleeing the war in their country located less than 100 kilometers from the Cypriot coast.
