Swimmer reveals how he conquered grueling, frigid 12-day mission on ‘Jaws' anniversary to prove ‘sharks are not monsters'

New York Post

2 days ago

A shark activist swimmer who spent 12 days swimming around Martha's Vineyard to mark the 50th anniversary of 'Jaws' revealed he broke his cardinal rule during the grueling — and frigid — 60-mile journey.
Lewis Pugh, 55, had promised himself not to think about what sharks might be lurking below him as he tried to draw attention to the fact the animals are no monsters.
'There was one day when I was getting into the water and it was very, very early in the morning,' Pugh told The Post. 'The sun hadn't even risen. It was just twilight and I'm lowering myself into dark black water.
'If you've been talking about sharks all day long the day before, guess what you're thinking about when you lower yourself down that ladder?'
4 Lewis Pugh completed a swim around Martha's Vineyard on Monday to bring attention to a shark 'ecocide' on the 50th anniversary of the thriller 'Jaws.'
Kevin Trautman
But the 55-year-old British-South African swimmer didn't have any close encounters.
'Sharks are not monsters, they are magnificent,' he said. 'They're essential. They're seriously endangered… If you take them out, the entire ecosystem starts to collapse.'
''Jaws' has shaped the narrative about sharks for the past 50 years as cold-blooded killers out to get us, and it's created a culture of fear around the world … I felt that now was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change a narrative,' he said.
. Although Pugh has completed swims in all of the world's oceans, this particular task pushed him to the limit, he said.
'It's been a long journey, it really has,' he said after the swim — which was completed Monday and comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of the blockbuster film from director Steven Spielberg.
'Twelve days, cold water, constant wind, waves, and then always thinking of what may be beneath me<' he said. 'It's been a big swim. A very big swim,'
Pugh battled bad weather for most of the 25-hour-and-51-minute swim around the island, with the exception of gorgeous, clear skies on the first and last days of the journey, he said.
4 Pugh battled bad weather for most of the 25 hour and 51 minute swim around the island, with the exception of gorgeous,clear skies on the first and last days of the journey.
Kevin Trautman
And he didn't have any run-ins with sharks, but he did have many pleasant interactions with other sea creatures on calmer days.
4 Pugh said he had no run-ins with any sharks and instead had many pleasant interactions with other sea creatures on calmer days.
Kevin Trautman
'On a number of occasions, seals would pop up and be looking at me and birds would be diving into the sea to eat fish. What a joy, what an utter joy,' he said.
Pugh — who has been named a United Nations Patron of the Oceans and often swims to raise awareness for environmental causes — will now work to convince world leaders to act on what he described as an 'ecocide' of sharks across the globe.
'The main direct threat to sharks is commercial fishing, and the data is so shocking. On average, 274,000 sharks are killed globally every day. So, 274,000 sharks a day. That's 100 million per annum,' Pugh explained.
'It's complete madness. It's an ecocide happening right now.'
4 Pugh will now work to convince lawmakers to give sharks the highest wildlife protections possible.
Kevin Trautman
This week, Pugh will attend an Oceans conference in France, where he will explain to environmental ministers why sharks should be granted top wildlife protections from lawmakers.
The long-distance swimmer and environmentalist says he plans on doing similar swims in the future to bring attention to other ecocides, climate change, and endangered species.
'The 'Jaws 'movie was so successful. It was the music, and for the past 50 years it set the agenda, or it set the narrative, for sharks… this swim was very symbolic on the 50th anniversary.
'But I need to be doing similar campaigns in many parts of the world in Indonesia, in Australia, in South Africa, in India, in China… conservation takes time,' he said.