British swimmer Lewis Pugh is known for making extreme swims in the coldest of waters, and his most recent endeavor is no exception. He swam through the Antarctic waters, some of the coldest water on Earth. He actually completed a series of swims in the open ocean in this area, all in nothing but a speedo.
The motivation for Pugh is that he helps to promote conservation efforts in the areas that he swims in. For example, through his extreme swimming in the Antarctic he was able to raise both support and awareness for one of the largest proposed marine reserves in the world. This reserve, or Marine Protected Area, would cover a large part of the Ross Sea and span over 1.5-million square miles. The reason that there is such an effort to make this water protected is because of the fact that it is in such a pure state.
There are not many areas of the world that have been left alone when it comes to pollution, mining, and over-fishing. Because of how far south the Antarctic Ross waters are, and the fact that there are not as many people in this area of the world, it has remained practically untouched by human hands. The hope is that by making this water safe under a reserve, many sea creatures will be saved and the beauty of this area will be untouched so that people can enjoy it for generations to come.
Lewis Pugh has also been a part of other extreme swimming adventures in his career. Among his many accomplishments, he was the first person to swim in every major ocean on Earth, as well as the first person to swim the full length of the River Thames. He has also performed extreme swims in the waters around the North Pole, a glacier lake on Mount Everest, and in the Maldives.
All of the extreme swims that Pugh performs serve a greater purpose and have been very successful at raising the public’s awareness and support for the preservation of our Earth’s oceans. Every location he has been to supports a different cause. For example, when he swam across the glacier on Mount Everest, it was to help gain awareness of the fact that the glaciers were melting in the Himalayas.
Lewis Pugh has earned his way into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and is considered by many to be the ‘patron of the seas.’ He also holds a very important seat in the World Wildlife Fund of the United Kingdom. He has always had a great passion for conservation and a desire to help make the world a better place. He intentionally seeks out ways to help promote environmental awareness and to help people come together to save everything we love about our planet.
Every time that Lewis Pugh gets ready for a swim, he doesn’t necessarily love the frigid temperature of the waters or the dangers of the sea below, but he loves the Earth even more and will do anything he can to help keep it safe. He simply puts on his cap, goggles and speedo and shows the world what truly matters.
