Brrrrilliant! SA Swimmer takes on Icy, Crazy, Wonderful World Record!
Within the next 24 hours Cape Town swimmer, adventurer, inspirational author – and all-round passionate rescuer of the planet – Lewis Pugh will attempt the most southern swim in the world. Lewis, who is the United Nations Patron of the Oceans, will be the first human ever to take on the freezing cold 1 km stretch around […]
Within the next 24 hours Cape Town swimmer, adventurer, inspirational author – and all-round passionate rescuer of the planet – Lewis Pugh will attempt the most southern swim in the world.
Lewis, who is the United Nations Patron of the Oceans, will be the first human ever to take on the freezing cold 1 km stretch around Cape Adare, which sits at 71º South and is home to the largest colony of Adélie penguins in the world. If successful, the South African will break the world record for the most southerly long distance swim ever undertaken.
Proving just how cold the waters will be, Lewis posted his first sighting of an iceberg yesterday! Did we mention that he will bravely – very bravely! – be taking on this icy swim in nothing more than his speedo and goggles?!
The reason? An awesome effort to raise awareness for the Ross Sea to be set aside as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) to save it from irreversible damage.
Lewis is actually undertaking five record-breaking swims in freezing waters this month in his campaign to have the Ross Sea – the ‘Polar Garden of Eden’ – declared a MPA.
According to a press statement released on his behalf, the Ross Sea is one of the most pristine marine ecosystems on the planet, and home to many species found nowhere else on Earth. Cape Adare is the site of the first wintering by explorers on the Antarctic Continent and is home to more than a quarter of a million pairs of Adélie penguins who breed there.
In typical effortless Lewis style, the ocean advocate has been posting inspirational comments along with his photos as his boat nears its destination (navigating through vicious storms). “Think of just ONE reason to keep on going. It will make all the difference,” he wrote a few days ago. In another post he said “the point about proper preparation is that it changes your sense of what is possible”.
The organisation responsible for creating MPAs in the region is the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which is currently chaired by Russia.
Lewis asks that we all please show our support for the cause on Twitter using the hashtag #5swims and help him to raise awareness to protect this site before it is too late.
Twitter: @LewisPugh