'I had butterflies in my stomach': eight-year-old completes swimming challenge

As eight-year-old Zac Bugeja stood up on the beach ladder just before jumping into the sea to start his first-ever swimming challenge, his stomach fluttered.
Yet he knew there was no going back.“I was very happy and nervous,” Zac told Times of Malta.
Zac, who wants to raise awareness about the environment and plastic pollution, began training for the tough swimming challenge six months ago. His goal was to swim non-stop from Gerbulin to Slugs Bay in Mellieħa and back.
His swim started at 6pm on Tuesday, and he completed 2.3 kilometres in just one hour and 28 seconds.

“I thought I would take longer to finish, and hearing my dad tell me the time I completed the swim shocked me but also made me very happy,” Zac said.
Zac, joyful, but tired after his arduous challenge, described the experience as "amazing and good fun".
"The sea was so calm, you could walk on it, but unfortunately at times it was a bit murky, I couldn't even see my fingers in front of me!"
He also saw a few fish, although not as many as he had expected. The eight-year-old was also happy he did not come across any plastic during his swim.
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