Lewis Gordon Pugh
Lewis Gordon Pugh
Lewis William Gordon Pugh, OIGis an ocean advocate, a maritime lawyer and a pioneer swimmer...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionEnvironmentalist
Date of Birth5 December 1969
medium state telling
Swimming has been a very effective medium for telling a story about the state of our planet.
environment
Normally I don't race other people; I challenge the environment and my own limitations.
bred britain compared coverage great seem
Britain has bred many great explorers, but they seem to get so little coverage compared to soccer and rugby players.
beneath bones clear graveyard looking second swim time whale whaling
On my second swim at Deception Island, the water was very clear and I was looking at hundreds of whale bones beneath me. It was a graveyard from the whaling some time in the 1920s-30s.
creatures frighten great leopard near pull seals shark spots top white
Of all the creatures in the world that really frighten me - the hyena in Africa, the great white shark - leopard seals are near the top of the list. They're killers. If my team spots one, they'll pull me out of the water.
grandiose sir water
Not to be too grandiose about it, but in a way I see myself like Sir Edmund Hillary. The water was my Everest.
across arctic highlight july melting north open patch pole sea
On 15 July 2007, I swam across an open patch of sea at the North Pole to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice.
arctic depends save
We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it.
basic challenges learned lessons mean require work worked
I learned two basic lessons on Everest. First, just because something has worked in the past does not mean it will work today. Second, different challenges require different mindsets.
exploring full human physical
The days of exploration of Shackleton and Scott are long gone. Everything has been climbed, crossed, done. Now what we're exploring are the full boundaries of human endeavour. It's not physical - it's all in the head.
absolutely cold color imagine preparing salt taste visualize
When I'm preparing for a swim, I imagine absolutely everything about it: the color of the water, how cold it is, the taste of salt in my mouth. I visualize each and every stroke.
antarctica deception far hardest island swim train
The swim at Deception Island was by far the hardest swim I've ever done. Antarctica is a very unforgiving environment. If you don't train properly, you'll die.
challenge change climate everest facing
Climate change is the Everest of all problems, the thorniest challenge facing humankind.
change climate ordinary quite
The problem with climate change is that it's quite complicated for the ordinary person to understand.