Lewis Pugh told Sputnik on Wednesday that in the summer of 2018 he was going to attempt his longest swim to date in order to draw attention of the general public as well as nations’ leadership to existing environmental problems.
"It's a huge swim, it's 650 kilometers long, over a number of days. I'm so excited about it," Pugh told Sputnik on Wednesday, noting that it would take him approximately a month to cover the distance.
However, Pugh added that he was not ready to reveal the exact route of the swim.
"It is in a very vulnerable region of the world and between two very famous landmarks. It's obviously not in the Arctic or Antarctic. I'm trying to be the voice for the oceans, but also the voice for all the incredible animals that live in the oceans. Polar bears and seals, penguins, all these amazing animals and I'm hoping that I would be able to do that," Pugh stressed.
UN Environment Patron of the Oceans @LewisPugh swims in the polar regions to draw attention to our warming planet.
— UN Environment (@UNEP) 12 декабря 2017 г.
What will YOU do for this #OnePlanet? https://t.co/7OlDs3us0N #BeatPollution pic.twitter.com/rvJW8yd0ri
In 2005, Pugh braved the waters near the Island of Spitsbergen. At the time the water temperature was 3 degrees. In 2017, he repeated the swim in the waters outside the island, and just in twelve years the water temperature rose to 10 degrees. Among other top priorities for the swimmer are Lake Baikal and protection of several rivers in Russia.
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"My commitment to Russia is long term … I'm interested in the Amur river, I'm interested in the Volga river and I'm interested in the Black Sea. I've got my eye on a few swims. It just needs to be at the right moment," Pugh pointed out.
Arriving in a chilly Moscow for discussions on the protection of the Polar Regions, Lake Baikal, and marine pollution. First up, I’ll be addressing the EcoTech conference. pic.twitter.com/XK8Ku7s8Ty
— Lewis Pugh (@LewisPugh) 13 декабря 2017 г.
Pugh is a British-South African cold water swimmer. Advocating against the climate change, Pugh completed long-distance swims in all the oceans of the world and he is considered to be one of the world’s most experienced swimmers in cold waters. One of his most well-known endeavors was in 2007. Trying to draw the attention to the problem of the rapid melting of the ice, he swam across the North Pole, spending 18 minutes and 50 seconds in freezing waters.
