By braving some of the most forbidding waters on the planet, Lewis Pugh uses his unique brand of ‘Speedo diplomacy’ to draw the attention of the world’s leaders to the devastating effects of global warming. Here, he talks about extreme cold, coral reefs – and taming his inner wolf
Lewis Pugh typically starts to plan his next extreme-swimming challenge after just enough time has passed for him to have forgotten how deeply unpleasant the last one was. He opens his atlas – I know! An atlas! – and turns the pages until he finds a body of water that captures his imagination. “I’m flicking through and I think, ‘Can I swim around this cape?’” says Pugh, who is 53, and has been testing the limits of human endurance for 35 years wearing just a silicone cap and a pair of Speedos. “Can I swim down this river? Can I cross this ocean? Can I cross this bay? Where can I shine a light on a place? Where can I tell a story?”
When his next venture finally comes to him, Pugh notes, it is never an “aha moment”, but almost always an “err-duh moment” – something glaringly obvious. “I’m agonising, agonising and it’s not quite right and then suddenly” – Pugh claps his hands – “it was right in front of me. ‘Err-duh! Why did I not think of that?’”
