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Lewis Pugh

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Lewis Gordon Pugh
Lewis Gordon Pugh
Born(1969-12-05)December 5, 1969
Plymouth, England
EducationCambridge University / University of Cape Town
Occupation(s)Environmentalist, Lawyer, Explorer, Swimmer
Parent(s)Surgeon Rear Admiral P.D. Gordon Pugh and Margery Pugh
Websitehttp://www.lewispugh.com

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

In 2007, Pugh undertook a swim across an open patch of sea at the North Pole to draw attention to the dramatic melting of the Arctic sea ice.

He recently announced that he will attempt to kayak all the way from Svalbard, across the Arctic Ocean, to the North Pole, in September 2008. The expedition coincides with some scientists predicting that the North Pole could be free of sea-ice for the first time this summer.

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.

Lawyer

He read politics and law at the University of Cape Town. In his mid-twenties he returned to England where he read International Law at Jesus College, Cambridge and then worked as a maritime lawyer in the City of London for a number of years.

Environmentalist

In 2003 Pugh left law to campaign for the protection of the environment, and specifically the Arctic. He now often addresses Heads of State and business leaders on the urgent need to tackle climate change head on and the importance of a low carbon society.

Pugh has undertaken a series of swims to raise awareness about the effects of climate change. His swim at the North Pole in 2007 coincided with the lowest coverage of Arctic sea ice ever recorded. Pugh disagrees with recent modeling, which predicts that the Arctic will be ice free in the summer by 2080. After his swim he said, “From what I have seen, I think the Arctic will be largely free of summer sea ice within a decade”.

Pugh is an Ambassador for WWF, the largest conservation NGO in the world.

An Arctic Treaty

Pugh has been outspoken about the need for greater legal protection for the Arctic. The melting of the Arctic sea ice has the potential to allow an increase in oil and gas, fishing and shipping activities in the region and Pugh has been campaigning for a new governance structure and comprehensive laws, analogous to the Antarctic Treaty and its Environmental Protocol, where competing territorial claims are frozen and there is a ban on oil and gas exploitation.

Swimming

Pugh has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history. He was the first person to complete a long distance swim at the North Pole. He was also the first person to complete a long distance swim in all five oceans of the world (Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, Arctic and Southern). He states "between Lynne , Martin and myself, we've hit all of the world's major landmarks. There's really nothing left" [1].

Early swims

Pugh had his first real swimming lesson at the age of 17. 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. In 2002 he broke the record for the fastest time for swimming around Robben Island.

He was the first person to swim around Cape Agulhas (the southern-most point in Africa), the Cape of Good Hope, and the Cape Peninsula (a 100km (62 mile) swim from Cape Town to Muizenberg). Pugh was also the first person to swim across an African Great Lake, namely Lake Malawi.

Cold water swims

After 2003 Pugh focused on pioneering swims in some of the coldest and most hostile waters of the world. All of them were undertaken in accordance with Channel Swimming Association rules, in just a Speedo, cap and goggles. He became the first person to swim around the infamous North Cape, the northern-most point in Europe. The following year he became the first person to swim down the entire length of Sognefjord in Norway, a 204km (127 mile) swim which took him 21 days to complete.

In 2005 he broke the world record for the farthest-north long distance swim by undertaking a 1km (0.62 mile) swim at 80º North around Verlegenhuken, the northern-most cape in Spitsbergen. He followed that 5 months later by breaking Lynne Cox's world record for the farthest-south long distance swim by undertaking a 1km (0.62 mile) 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 swam

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.

Swims to raise awareness about climate change

A number of Pugh's swims were undertaken to raise awareness about the devastating effects of climate change.

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 325km (201 mile) swim took him 21 days to complete. The swim attracted significant publicity because the river had stopped flowing due to the drought, forcing Pugh to run the first 42km (26 miles) of the river. While 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 (87 mile) swim took 10 days to complete.

Geographic North Pole

In July 2007 Pugh shocked the world when he undertook the first long distance swim at the Geographic North Pole. The 1km (0.62 mile) swim, in minus 1.7°C water, took 18 minutes and 50 seconds to complete. Jørgen Amundsen, a relative of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, paced Pugh by skiing alongside him during the swim.

Pugh undertook the symbolic swim to raise awareness about the dramatic loss of sea ice in 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. Eighteen minutes felt like 18 days.... the pain was peripheral to begin with, and then a deep gnawing in my bones."

Dangers

When asked on BBC Breakfast which was the most dangerous animal to swim with he said, “I suppose that depends on which is the hungriest! On my expeditions we 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. But the main danger in most of my swims has been the cold. Before my North Pole swim we were concerned about hypothermia. No human had ever attempted a long distance swim in such cold water. I found it impossible to ignore the fact that Sir Ranulph Fiennes had lost a number of fingers after just a few minutes exposure in the Arctic Ocean and Rear Admiral Robert Peary had lost 8 toes walking to the North Pole. Somehow I just had to squeeze those thoughts out, and dive in.”

Awards

In 2006 Pugh was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. In 2007 he was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship Award by Rotary International for his campaigning to protect the environment. That year he also received the Sports Adventurer of the Year Award by the French Sports Academy.

Kayaking

Pugh is currently training with Hungarian Robert Hegedus, the 7 times World Kayaking Champion, to become the first person to kayak all the way to the North Pole. The expedition is scheduled to depart from the Norwegian Island of Svalbard on 27 August 2008.

Personal life

Pugh lives in London and the Arctic.

Notes

  1. ^ Todd Pitock (October 29 2007). "The Ice Bear Cometh". Forbes. Retrieved 2008-08-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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