Johannesburg – Lewis Pugh has conquered a new frontier.
The Cape Town endurance swimmer and UN Environment Programme Patron of the Oceans swam 500m off the coast of Cape Adare in the Antarctic Ocean in 1.7°C water on Thursday.
Organisers said it was the most southerly swim in human history.
Pugh He completed the formidable feat wearing just a Speedo costume and was so cold that he had to take a 50-minute hot shower to warm his core body temperature.
“It was an exceptionally tough swim, especially as I had to navigate around sharp ice and couldn’t just keep my head down and swim. My fingers were in absolute agony from around the 300m mark, I’ve never felt pain like it before,” said Pugh immediately after the swim.
He completed the swim, along with a series of other swims in the Antarctic Ocean, to influence world leaders to make the Ross Sea, a pristine and untarnished area, a marine-protected area.
The Ross Sea is under threat from commercial fishing and global warming.
“I’m obviously delighted with the accomplishment and am looking forward to trying to beat this record in the next three weeks at Cape Evans and then the Bay of Whales,” he said.
Pugh was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean in the world.
In 2010, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
He thanked his team, saying: “I want to thank my support team for keeping me safe.
“The only thing warming me up is the thought that my actions can encourage world leaders to come together and preserve this wonderful and important part of the world.”
The Star