Lewis Pugh

Lewis Pugh is an endurance swimmer and the UN Patron of the Oceans. He pioneers swims in the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth to campaign for their protection.

He was the first person to undertake a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world, and the first to swim across the North Pole. His unique method of advocacy, dubbed “Speedo diplomacy”, reaches millions worldwide, and gives a first-hand account of the beauty and the fragility of these precious ecosystems.

In 2015 Pugh swam in the Ross Sea off Antarctica to draw attention to the need to establish a network of MPAs in the region, and undertook considerable outreach efforts with key decision makers in Russia.

Pugh has been awarded South Africa’s highest honour, the Order of Ikhamanga (Gold Class).