Lewis Gordon Pugh
Encyclopedia
Lewis Gordon Pugh, OIG is a British environmental campaigner, maritime lawyer and endurance swimmer.
Pugh was the first person to complete a long distance swim in every ocean. He frequently swims in vulnerable ecosystems to draw attention to their plight and is best known for undertaking the first swim across the North Pole
in 2007 to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice and for swimming across a glacial lake under the summit of Mount Everest
in 2010 to draw attention to the melting glaciers in the Himalayas
, and the impact the reduced water supply will have on world peace.
In 2010 he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
for his "potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership."
, England. His father, Surgeon Rear Admiral P.D. Gordon Pugh, OBE, FRCS was a surgeon in the Royal Navy
and a prolific collector of ceramics of the Victorian era. His mother, Margery Pugh was a Senior Nursing Sister in Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service
. Pugh is a descendant of William Carey the famous missionary. His father's cousin, Carey Heydenrych, participated in the "Great Escape" from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III
during the Second World War.
In 2009 Pugh married Antoinette Malherbe, whom he met at school.
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
and graduated with distinction and at the top of his Masters class. 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. During this time he concurrently served as a Reservist in the elite British Special Air Service
.
.
His father was present at the first British atomic bomb test in 1952 and a number of subsequent tests.
In 2003 Pugh left his maritime law practice to campaign for the protection of the environment. He often addresses Heads of State and business leaders on the need to tackle climate change head on and the importance of a low carbon society.
In 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Pugh took the evidence of witnesses from across Africa on the effects of climate change at the Pan-African Climate and Poverty Hearings. The evidence was presented to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
.
Conference and is described on their website as a “master story-teller”. The Financial Times
reported that his speech:
And his speech on environmental leadership at the 2008 Business Innovation Forum Conference in the USA was voted as one of the "7 Most Inspiring Videos on the Web" by Mashable
, the social media guide.
disputes. In 2009 it won the Best Project for the Environment at the inaugural Beyond Sports Awards.
in the UK with Sir David Attenborough and Jonathon Porritt
. He also works closely with Dr Ian Player
and the Wilderness Leadership School to promote and protect the last wilderness areas on the earth.
in the Gulf of Mexico
. In a feature in Business Day
he said:
, to raise awareness about the severe drought in England and the dangers of global warming. The 325 km (201.9 mi) swim took him 21 days to complete. The river had stopped flowing due to the drought, forcing Pugh to run the first 42 km (26.1 mi) of the river. While swimming through London, Pugh exited the water and made a 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.
. He undertook the swim to raise awareness about the effect of climate change on low lying islands in the world. The 140 km (87 mi) swim took 10 days to complete.
, paced Pugh by skiing alongside him during the swim.
The swim 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:
, across the Arctic Ocean
, towards the North Pole, but team abandoned the effort 135 km from the start. The aim was to further highlight the melting sea ice. The expedition coincided with some scientists predicting that the North Pole could be free of sea-ice in the summer of 2008, for the first time in thousands of years. Pugh stated that despite several attempts, they were unable to find a gap in the ice. In 2002, Thomas and Tina Sjogren had skied and swam their way to the North Pole without any external support. In his autobiography Pugh wrote:
The 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) swim, at an altitude of 5,300 metres, in 2°C water, took 22 minutes and 51 seconds to complete and was done as part of the Clinton Global Initiative.
, Jay Leno
, Richard & Judy
, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
and BBC Breakfast
. He has also been featured by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Vital Signs on CNN
, ADN on France 2
, Carte Blanche
and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
.
In 2009 Pugh starred in Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure
where he trained the English actor / singer to swim across the icy waters of Llyn Llydaw
, a lake on Mount Snowdon
in Wales
. Afterwards Robson Green
said:
. It quickly became a Number One bestseller.
(where Nelson Mandela
was imprisoned) to Cape Town
. In 1992 on August 6, 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 100 km (62.1 mi) swim from Cape Town
to Muizenberg
). Pugh was also the first person to swim across an African Great Lake, namely Lake Malawi
.
swimming trunks, 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 204 km (126.8 mi) 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 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) swim at 80º North
around Verlegenhuken, the northern-most cape in Spitsbergen
. He followed that five months later by breaking Lynne Cox
's world record for the farthest-south long distance swim by undertaking a 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) swim at 65º South
at Petermann Island off the Antarctic Peninsula
.
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 Russian Champion Alexander Brylin by over 100 metres and the bronze medalist Nefatov Vladimir by 125 metres.
to years of cold water swimming.
Pugh was the first person to complete a long distance swim in every ocean. He frequently swims in vulnerable ecosystems to draw attention to their plight and is best known for undertaking the first swim across the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
in 2007 to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice and for swimming across a glacial lake under the summit of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
in 2010 to draw attention to the melting glaciers in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, and the impact the reduced water supply will have on world peace.
In 2010 he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
for his "potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership."
Early life and family
Pugh was born in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England. His father, Surgeon Rear Admiral P.D. Gordon Pugh, OBE, FRCS was a surgeon in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and a prolific collector of ceramics of the Victorian era. His mother, Margery Pugh was a Senior Nursing Sister in Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service
Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service
Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service is the nursing branch of the British Royal Navy. The Service unit works alongside the Royal Navy Medical Branch....
. Pugh is a descendant of William Carey the famous missionary. His father's cousin, Carey Heydenrych, participated in the "Great Escape" from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
during the Second World War.
In 2009 Pugh married Antoinette Malherbe, whom he met at school.
Education
Pugh grew up on the edge of DartmoorDartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. When he was 10 years old his family emigrated to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and he was educated at St Andrew's College
St. Andrew's College (Grahamstown, South Africa)
St Andrew's College is a private senior school for boys located in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, one of the 23 elite, influential and prestigious Milner Schools. It offers boarding and day options for its pupils. The premium Anglican boarding school caters for 450 pupils from across the...
in Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
and later at Camps Bay High School in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. He read politics and law at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
and graduated with distinction and at the top of his Masters class. In his mid-twenties he returned to England where he read International Law at Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
and then worked as a maritime lawyer in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
for a number of years. During this time he concurrently served as a Reservist in the elite British Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
.
Environmental campaigning
During his youth Pugh visited many National Parks in South Africa. He attributes this to his father's desire to teach him to love and respect nature after what he had witnessed whilst serving in the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
His father was present at the first British atomic bomb test in 1952 and a number of subsequent tests.
In 2003 Pugh left his maritime law practice to campaign for the protection of the environment. He often addresses Heads of State and business leaders on the need to tackle climate change head on and the importance of a low carbon society.
In 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Pugh took the evidence of witnesses from across Africa on the effects of climate change at the Pan-African Climate and Poverty Hearings. The evidence was presented to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 December and 18 December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...
.
Public speaking
Pugh is an accomplished public speaker. He has twice spoken at the influential TEDTED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
Conference and is described on their website as a “master story-teller”. The Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
reported that his speech:
“... was the perfect TED talk: a little bit of action, some thinking outside the box, humbling words on the need to respect nature, a happy ending. A Hollywood scriptwriter could not have structured it better.”
And his speech on environmental leadership at the 2008 Business Innovation Forum Conference in the USA was voted as one of the "7 Most Inspiring Videos on the Web" by Mashable
Mashable
Mashable is an American news website and Internet news blog founded by Pete Cashmore. The website's primary focus is social media news, but also covers news and developments in mobile, entertainment, online video, business, web development, technology, memes and gadgets...
, the social media guide.
Polar Defense Project
In 2008 Pugh founded the Polar Defense Project to campaign for greater protection for the Arctic and a resolution of the maritime boundaryMaritime boundary
Maritime boundary is a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. As such it usually includes areas of exclusive national rights over the mineral and biological resources,...
disputes. In 2009 it won the Best Project for the Environment at the inaugural Beyond Sports Awards.
World Wide Fund for Nature and the Wilderness Leadership School
Pugh sits on the Council of Ambassadors for the World Wide Fund for NatureWorld Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
in the UK with Sir David Attenborough and Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Porritt
Jonathon Espie Porritt, CBE, is an English environmentalist and writer. Porritt appears frequently in the media, writing in magazines, newspapers and books, and appearing on radio and television regularly.-Early life and family background:...
. He also works closely with Dr Ian Player
Ian Player
Dr. Ian Player DMS , is an international conservationist.-Biography:Player was educated at St. John’s College, Johannesburg, South Africa and served in the 6th South African Armoured Division attached to the American 5th Army in Italy 1944–46.His conservation career started with the Natal Parks...
and the Wilderness Leadership School to promote and protect the last wilderness areas on the earth.
BP Oil Disaster
Pugh has been outspoken on the Deepwater Horizon oil spillDeepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. In a feature in Business Day
Business Day (South Africa)
Business Day is a daily national business newspaper published in Johannesburg, South Africa....
he said:
"They [BP top executives] should be criminally prosecuted. They should go to jail. What I can't understand is why people haven't responded more vigorously, by boycotting BP."
Environmental awareness expeditions
Pugh has undertaken a series of expeditions to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.River Thames
In 2006, he became the first person to swim the entire length of the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, to raise awareness about the severe drought in England and the dangers of global warming. The 325 km (201.9 mi) swim took him 21 days to complete. The river had stopped flowing due to the drought, forcing Pugh to run the first 42 km (26.1 mi) of the river. While swimming through London, Pugh exited the water and made a visit to Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
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 MaldivesMaldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
. He undertook the swim to raise awareness about the effect of climate change on low lying islands in the world. The 140 km (87 mi) swim took 10 days to complete.
North Pole
In July 2007 Pugh undertook the first long distance swim at the Geographic North Pole. The 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) swim, across an open patch of sea, in minus -1.7 °C water, took 18 minutes and 50 seconds to complete. Jørgen Amundsen, the great grand nephew of Norwegian explorer Roald AmundsenRoald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
, paced Pugh by skiing alongside him during the swim.
The swim 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."
Arctic Kayak
In September 2008, Pugh, accompanied by a team aboard a ship where he slept, attempted to kayak the 1200 km from SvalbardSvalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
, across the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
, towards the North Pole, but team abandoned the effort 135 km from the start. The aim was to further highlight the melting sea ice. The expedition coincided with some scientists predicting that the North Pole could be free of sea-ice in the summer of 2008, for the first time in thousands of years. Pugh stated that despite several attempts, they were unable to find a gap in the ice. In 2002, Thomas and Tina Sjogren had skied and swam their way to the North Pole without any external support. In his autobiography Pugh wrote:
"Ironically, global warming played no small part in undermining the entire expedition. We believed that the greater melting of summer ice would open up large areas of sea and allow us to paddle north at good speed. What we did not fully appreciate was that to the north of us there was a widespread melting of sea ice off the coast of Alaska and the New Siberian Islands and the ice was being pushed south towards us ... The evidence of climate change was stark. Fourteen months before I'd sailed north and I'd seen a preponderance of multi-year ice about three metres thick north of Spitsbergen, but this time most of the ice was just a metre thick."
Mt Everest - Swim for Peace
In May 2010 Pugh swam in Lake Pumori, a glacial lake on Mt Everest, to highlight the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and the impact the reduced water supply will have on world peace.The 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) swim, at an altitude of 5,300 metres, in 2°C water, took 22 minutes and 51 seconds to complete and was done as part of the Clinton Global Initiative.
Television
Pugh has appeared on numerous TV shows including Good Morning AmericaGood Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
, Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...
, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
and BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
. He has also been featured by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Vital Signs on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, ADN on France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
, Carte Blanche
Carte Blanche (TV series)
Carte Blanche, produced by Combined Artists, is the flagship magazine and actuality programme on M-Net, a pay-TV channel broadcasting in Southern Africa. Carte Blanche was launched in 1989 and broadcasts during prime time viewing on Sunday evenings....
and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is a monthly sports newsmagazine on HBO that debuted on April 2, 1995. The show was "spawned by the fact that sports have changed dramatically, that it's no longer just fun and games, and that what happens off the field, beyond the scores, is worthy of some serious...
.
In 2009 Pugh starred in Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure
Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure
Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure is a show featuring Robson Green which airs in December 2009. Robson Green undertakes an aquatic journey through the wild waters of Britain in this new two part documentary series for ITV .-Episodes:...
where he trained the English actor / singer to swim across the icy waters of Llyn Llydaw
Llyn Llydaw
Llyn Llydaw is a lake in Snowdonia National Park on the flanks of Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain. This long thin lake has formed in a cwm about one-third of the way up the mountain....
, a lake on Mount Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Afterwards Robson Green
Robson Green
Robson Green is an English actor, singer–songwriter and presenter.-Biography:Robson Golightly Green was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and baptised in Bethel Chapel, , and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly...
said:
"… Lewis prepared me psychologically for something that was way outside my comfort zone. His introduction to the notion of committing to an objective, becoming unstoppable and reaching that objective was life changing. There was no swim I couldn't do after meeting Lewis because anything is possible if you COMMIT!!"
Books
In 2010 Pugh's autobiography "Achieving the Impossible : A Fearless Leader, A Fragile Earth" was published by Simon & SchusterSimon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. It quickly became a Number One bestseller.
Swimming
Over a period of 24 years Pugh has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history. In an interview with Forbes he stated:
"Between Lynne CoxLynne CoxLynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer. In 1971, she and her teammates were the first group of teenagers to complete the crossing of the Catalina Island Channel in California. She was always the slowest swimmer in her swim classes...
, Martin StrelMartin StrelMartin Strel in Mokronog, SFR Yugoslavia, is a legendary Slovenian long-distance swimmer, best known for swimming the entire length of various rivers. Strel holds successive Guinness World Records for swimming the Danube river, the Mississippi River, the Yangtze River, and the Amazon River....
and myself, we've hit all of the world's major landmarks. There's really nothing left."
Early swims
Pugh had his first real swimming lesson in 1986, at the age of 17. One month later he swam from Robben IslandRobben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
(where Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
was imprisoned) to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. In 1992 on August 6, he swam across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. In 2002 he broke the record for the fastest time for swimming around Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
.
He was the first person to swim around Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas is a rocky headland in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the official dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(the southern-most point in Africa), the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, and the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
(a 100 km (62.1 mi) swim from Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
to Muizenberg
Muizenberg
Muizenberg is a beach-side suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast...
). Pugh was also the first person to swim across an African Great Lake, namely Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
.
Cold water swims
After 2003 Pugh focused on pioneering swims in the coldest and most hostile waters of the world. All of them were undertaken in accordance with Channel Swimming Association rules, in just a pair of SpeedoSpeedo
Speedo International Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of swimwear and swim-related accessories. Founded in Australia in 1914, the industry leading company is now a subsidiary of Pentland Group Plc. Today, the Speedo brand can be found on products ranging from swimsuits and goggles to wrist...
swimming trunks, cap and goggles. He became the first person to swim around the infamous North Cape
North Cape, Norway
North Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at , 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually...
, the northern-most point in Europe. The following year he became the first person to swim down the entire length of Sognefjord
Sognefjord
The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...
in Norway, a 204 km (126.8 mi) 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 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) swim at 80º North
80th parallel north
The 80th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 80 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Arctic. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia, the Arctic Ocean and North America....
around Verlegenhuken, the northern-most cape in Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
. He followed that five months later by breaking Lynne Cox
Lynne Cox
Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer. In 1971, she and her teammates were the first group of teenagers to complete the crossing of the Catalina Island Channel in California. She was always the slowest swimmer in her swim classes...
's world record for the farthest-south long distance swim by undertaking a 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) swim at 65º South
65th parallel south
The 65th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 65 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 65° south passes through:-See also:...
at Petermann Island off the Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
.
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 Russian Champion Alexander Brylin by over 100 metres and the bronze medalist Nefatov Vladimir by 125 metres.
Anticipatory Thermo-Genesis
On both his Arctic and Antarctic 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" (the creation of heat before an event). This phenomenon had not been noted in any other human. Pugh believes it is a Pavlovian ResponseClassical conditioning
Classical conditioning is a form of conditioning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov...
to years of cold water swimming.
"Holy Grail" of swimming
In 2006 Pugh achieved the "Holy Grail" of swimming by becoming the first person to complete a long distance swim in all 5 oceans of the world. To date he is the only person to have achieved this feat. His five swims were :- Atlantic OceanAtlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
- across the English ChannelEnglish ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
in 1992 - Arctic OceanArctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
- around the most northern point of the Island of SpitsbergenSpitsbergenSpitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
in 2005 - Southern OceanSouthern OceanThe Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
- across Whaler's Bay in Deception Island in 2005 - Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
- across Nelson Mandela Bay in 2006 and - Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
- from Manly Beach through the Sydney Heads to the Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
in 2006
Awards
- 2011 - Fellow of the Royal Geographical SocietyRoyal Geographical SocietyThe Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, London - 2011 - President's Award from the International Swimming Hall of FameInternational Swimming Hall of FameThe International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
- 2010 - Appointed a Young Global Leader by the World Economic ForumWorld Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
- 2009 - Awarded the highest honour in South Africa - the Order of IkhamangaOrder of IkhamangaThe Order of Ikhamanga is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003 and is granted by the President of South Africa for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports...
(Gold Class) for his "exceptional sporting triumphs, humanitarian feats and creating consciousness about the negative effects of global warming". This was only the third time a sportsman had received the honour. - 2009 - Best Project for the Environment - Beyond Sport Awards
- 2008 - Out There Adventurer of the Year
- 2007 - Fellow of The Explorers ClubThe Explorers ClubThe Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
, New York - 2007 - Paul Harris Fellowship Award by Rotary InternationalRotary InternationalRotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
- 2007 - Sports Adventurer of the Year Award by the French Sports Academy
- 2006 - Freedom of the City of LondonCity of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...