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Lewis Pugh

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Lewis Gordon Pugh (born 5 December 1969) is a British swimmer, polar explorer, environmentalist and lawyer. He is known as the "Polar Bear” for his unique ability to withstand extreme cold.

Pugh was the first person to complete a long distance swim at the Geographic North Pole. He was also the first person to complete a long distance swim in all 5 oceans of the world (Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, Arctic and Southern).

He is a leading environmental campaigner lobbying for the protection of the Arctic and the need for urgent cuts in carbon emissions.

Early life

Pugh was born in Plymouth, England the son of Surgeon Rear Admiral P.D. Gordon Pugh, OBE. He grew up on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. When he was 10 years old his family emigrated to South Africa and he was educated at St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown and later at Camps Bay High School in Cape Town. He read politics and law at the University of Cape Town. In his mid twenties he returned to England.

Lawyer

Pugh read law at Jesus College, Cambridge and then worked as a maritime lawyer in the City of London for a number of years.

Swimming

At the age of 17 Pugh had his first real swimming lesson. One month later he swam from Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned) to Cape Town and shortly thereafter he swam across the English Channel.

Early swims

Over a period of 2 decades he pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history. All of them were undertaken in accordance with Channel Swimming Association Rules, in just a Speedo, cap and goggles.

He was the first person to swim around Cape Agulhas (the most southern point in Africa), the Cape of Good Hope, and the Cape Peninsula (a 100 km swim from Cape Town to Muizenberg). Pugh was also the first person to swim across an African Great Lake, namely Lake Malawi. In 2002 he broke the record for the fastest time for swimming around Robben Island.

Cold water swims

After 2003 he focussed on pioneering swims in some of the coldest and most hostile waters of the world. He became the first person to swim around the infamous North Cape, the most northern point in Europe. The following year he became the first person to swim down the entire length of Sognefjord in Norway, a 204 km swim which took him 21 days to complete.

In 2005 he broke the world record for the most northern long distance swim by undertaking a 1km swim at 80º North around Verlegenhuken, the most northern cape in Spitsbergen. He followed it up 5 months later by breaking the world record for the most southern long distance swim by undertaking a 1km swim at 65º South at Petermann Island off the Antarctic Peninsula. On both expeditions Professor Tim Noakes, a sports scientist from the University of Cape Town, recorded Pugh's ability to raise his core body temperature by nearly 2°C in anticipation of entering the freezing water. He coined the phrase "anticipatory thermo-genesis". This phenomenon had not been noted in any other human.

"Holy Grail" of swimming

In 2006 Lewis achieved the "Holy Grail" swimming by becoming the first person to complete a long distance swim in every ocean of the world. He had swum:

World Winter Swimming Championships

In 2006 Pugh challenged Russia’s top cold water swimmers to a 500 metre race at the World Winter Swimming Championships in Finland. He easily won the gold medal, beating the silver medalist by over 100 metres and the bronze medalist by over 125 metres.

Swimming with dangerous animals

Pugh has encountered many dangerous animals on his swims. When asked on BBC Breakfast which was the most dangerous he said “I suppose that depends on which is the hungriest! I have encountered crocodiles, hippopotami, sharks, polar bears, leopard seals and jelly fish. I don't enjoy swimming near any of them. They are all dangerous.”

Pugh is the face of Investec, a large international bank. In their “Out of the Ordinary” commercial he walks in an opposite direction to a parade of migrating Emperor Penguins and then swims next to a polar bear and a humpback whale.

Environmentalist

Pugh has become a leading environmental campaigner calling for the protection of the Arctic and the need for urgent cuts to carbon emissions. He frequently addresses heads of state, business leaders and schools on the subject. He has also undertaken a number of swims to highlight the issues.

River Thames

In 2006 he became the first person to swim the entire length of the River Thames to raise awareness about the severe drought in England and the dangers of global warming. The 325 km swim took him 21 days to complete. The swim attracted significant publicity because the river had stopped flowing due to the drought, and Pugh had to run the first 42 kilometres of the river.

Whilst swimming through London, Pugh exited the water and made a highly publicized visit to Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street to call on the United Kingdom to move towards a low carbon economy. Shortly afterwards the Prime Minister introduced the Climate Change Bill to Parliament.

Maldives

In February 2007 Pugh became the first person to swim across the width of the Maldives. He undertook the swim to raise awareness about the effect of climate change on low lying islands in the world. The 140 km swim took 10 days to complete.

Geographic North Pole

And in July 2007 Pugh shocked the world when he became the first person to undertake a long distance swim at the Geographic North Pole. He undertook the swim in a large open patch of sea at the Geographic North Pole. The 1 km swim, in minus 1.7°C water, took almost 19 minutes. Lewis was seconded by his friend Jørgen Amundsen, a relative of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first man to walk to the South Pole.

He undertook the symbolic swim to raise awareness about the devastating effects of climate change on the Arctic. After the swim he told the BBC "I am obviously ecstatic to have succeeded but this swim was a triumph and a tragedy. A triumph that I could swim in such ferocious conditions, but a tragedy that it is now possible to swim at the North Pole”. He added "It was without doubt the hardest swim of my life. There were many times that I thought of giving up.”

Personal life

Pugh lives in London and the Arctic.

References

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