Lewis Gordon Pugh, sometimes known as the 'Human Polar Bear' because of his ability to swim in sub-zero temperatures, was born in 1969 in Plymouth, England. He lived in South Africa from the age of ten-years-old, before he returned to England in 1996. He married a South African lady, Antoinette. Lewis Pugh studied law and worked for a while as a maritime lawyer in London, he is best known for his swimming, which he undertakes to raise awareness of environmental issues in different parts of the world.

The Human Polar Bear

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Lewis became the first person to challenge the freezing water of the North Pole

This Cambridge educated lawyer, now a Professor of International Law, became the first person to swim the 325-kilometer Thames River in England in 2006. He completed this achievement in 21 days. At that time England was affected by a severe drought and Pugh was forced to run for a section of the river which had dried up. He also swam across the 140 kilometers Maldives archipelago and he has also participated in numerous other swimming contest in many other countries.

Pugh raising awareness of climate change

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Some words of wisdom spoken by the Professor

“If you see injustice, do not wait for leaders. Stand up – alone if you have to. Your courage will inspire others.”

“If you want to swim across the English Channel from England to France – you have to leave your doubt on the beach in

England.”

“If you choose the right team members, you don’t have to lead them. You only need to point them in the right direction.”

“The point about proper preparation: it changes one's sense of what is possible.”

“Impossible is NOT a fact. It’s an opinion.”

“The impossible is what nobody can do until someone does it.”

“There will always be 100’s of reasons to quit. Think of just one reason to keep on going. It will make all the difference!”

“There is nothing more powerful than the made up mind.”

“The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations is our most important

human right.”

“If we pass on an unsustainable environment to our children we have failed them.”

“Everywhere water is under threat. It is our most precious resource. And there is no alternative to it.”

Lewis swim to save the environment

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The Polar Bear swim to protect the environment

Lewis Pugh is probably best known for his swim in the freezing waters of the North Pole in July 2007, which he undertook to raise awareness and the attention of world leaders, about global warming, the melting of the glaciers at the North pole and the plight of the polar bear in the Arctic. He is the first human to have completed a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world.

By raising his core body temperature he is able to survive in the cold water

Working with Professor Tim Noakes of the Sports Science Institute at the University of Cape Town, Lewis Pugh is able to raise his core body temperature and this, combined with extensive physical and mental preparation, enables him to survive in the freezing water. In 2010, Lewis Pugh made the swim for peace across Lake Pumari, a glacial lake on Mount Everest, to draw attention to the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas.

Lewis Pugh meeting Slava Fetisov, Russian Representative of Sport and Tourism, Youth and the Environment

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Lewis' biggest achievement is to protect the Ross Sea in Antartica

Today, this extraordinary man is an environmental campaigner who is in great demand as a public speaker, and who sits on various international environmental bodies, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature.

His brand, "speedo diplomacy" achieved immense success. The United Nations credited him with helping to safeguard the protection of the Ross Sea in Antartica, an area the size of the UK, Italy, Germany, and France amalgamated.

The Ross Sea

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Humpback Whale in the Ross Sea

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