Lewis Gordon Pugh
| Lewis Pugh | |
|---|---|
Lewis Pugh
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| Born |
5 December 1969 Plymouth, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Cape Town |
| Occupation | Endurance swimmer and Ocean advocate |
| Parent(s) | Surgeon Rear Admiral P.D. Gordon Pugh and Margery Pugh |
| Honours |
Order of Ikhamanga (Gold Class) 2009 Doctor of Science 2015 |
| Website | lewispugh.com |
Order of Ikhamanga (Gold Class) 2009
Lewis William Gordon Pugh, OIG (born 5 December 1969) is a British endurance swimmer and ocean advocate.
He has been described as the "Sir Edmund Hillary of swimming." He was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world, and he frequently swims in vulnerable ecosystems to draw attention to their plight.
He is best known for undertaking the first swim across the North Pole in 2007 to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice. In 2010 he swam across a glacial lake on Mount Everest to draw attention to the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas, and the impact the reduced water supply will have on peace in the region.
He undertakes all of his swims, even those in the Polar Regions, according to Channel Swimming Rules – i.e. in just in a Speedo costume, cap and goggles. In 2013 he was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
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." In 2013 the United Nations appointed him as the UN Patron of the Oceans.
In 2016 he helped negotiate the creation of the largest protected area in the world in the Ross Sea off Antarctica. The negotiations required consensus among 24 nations and the EU, a number of which had long standing disputes with one another. The media dubbed his efforts as "Speedo diplomacy".
In 2017 he was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of International Law at the University of Cape Town.
Pugh was born in Plymouth, England. His father, Surgeon Rear Admiral P.D. Gordon Pugh, OBE, FRCS was a surgeon in the Royal Navy, an author, 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.
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