Snorkeler gets wish at the fountain

One thousand euros were enough to convince a 31-year-old woman to jump into the green water of the Tritons Fountain near the bus terminus outside Valletta and swim around it five times.

Sporting goggles, flippers and a cardboard shark fin attached to her back, Katia Mifsud swam in the shallow murky water, scraping the ground with her body and fending off discarded bottles and plastic cups that floated in her way.

She was cheered on by her family, bus drivers, tourists and the media who gathered to watch her 15 minutes of fame in the centre of Malta's main bus terminus.

The event was the culmination of the Bay Radio Crazy Dare challenge in which people were asked to say what they were prepared to do for €1,000. Ms Mifsud plans to buy a remote-controlled garage door for her house with the prize money.

Luckily, the fountain was cleaned out on Thursday with almost one ton of waste removed, so Ms Mifsud, who won the competition, got off lightly.

She thanked the Public Cleansing Department for cleaning the fountain "just in time", but said she had been prepared to go ahead with the dare anyway, even if she had to swim through filthy water.

"It was a nice surprise to have the water cleaned of rubbish. I think they got to know about the event through the permits we had to get from the local council," she said.

The Rural Affairs Ministry, however, said the fountain was routinely cleaned every three or four months.

According to ministry spokesman Keith Galea, the reason the press was informed about the clean-up this time was because "the ministry now has a good communications coordinator" and because the government was on a mission to promote cleanliness.

He said the dare had nothing to do with the fact the fountain had been cleaned four days before. But he took the opportunity to urge people to do their part in keeping the country clean and said it was disappointing rubbish had already been found in the fountain just four days after it was cleared out.

After her swim, Ms Mifsud's father-in-law poured antiseptic soapy water over her to reduce the risk of infection. She also wore ear plugs and goggles during the swim.

"The worst part was the last round," she said, seconds after emerging from the green water and embracing her husband Rueben who supported her throughout.

"Now I'll wash up, change clothes, and I'm off home with €1,000!"