Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts (AP) – Endurance athletes in the UK and South Africa are set to swim 60 miles (97km) in a matter of days, marking the first time anyone has circumnavigated Martha’s Vineyard.
Lewis Pugh, 55, has started swimming several hours daily in frigid 47-degree (8 degrees Celsius) waters since May 15th. His mission raises awareness about the shark’s portrayal in the film Jaws, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Pugh aims to shift public opinion and foster the protection of vulnerable marine creatures, calling the film’s depiction of sharks as “malevolent, a cold-blooded killer.”
“For 50 years, we’ve been fighting against sharks,” he remarked after completing the final 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) of his swim, emerging from the water at Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, a filming location for “Jaws.” “It’s time we make amends with them.”
Throughout this endeavor, Pugh swam approximately 24 hours over the span of 12 days. After being welcomed by supporters on the beach, he made his way to an ice cream shop in Edgartown for some salted caramel and berry brownie cones.
The harsh conditions intensified the cold swim
Pugh described this venture as one of the most taxing swims in nearly four decades of endurance swimming, a career that has taken him alongside glaciers and volcanoes, past hippos, crocodiles, and polar bears. He was the first to swim in the Arctic and has completed long-distance swims in all the world’s oceans.
He anticipated challenges from the cold water and the distance, especially with the shark migration season underway. However, he found that weather posed the greatest difficulty.
“It was a prolonged ordeal. Over those 12 days, my thoughts revolved around the cold water, unrelenting winds, waves, and whatever might be lurking beneath me. It was indeed a significant swim,” he recounted. “When you swim for 12 days, you emerge a different person, carrying new insights from your experiences.”
Daily, Pugh braved the chilling waters surrounding the island in just his trunks, hat, and goggles—despite the seven inches (18 cm) of rain that the Noreast had dumped across parts of New England.
On one occasion, he managed to swim just over half a mile (1 kilometer) before conditions became so rough that visibility went no further than the length of his arm. At times, he found himself losing distance while battling the tide.
“I was getting quite cold and ingesting a lot of seawater. Instead of making forward progress, I was questioning my route: Should I venture farther into the ocean? Should I swim closer to shore?” he said. “Meanwhile, I was contending with the current.”
Pugh’s latest endurance challenge aims to aid shark conservation
Pugh, who has been nominated as a UN patron of the ocean, stated that these swims often aim to highlight environmental causes and emphasize the need for urgent action. The American Association for Science Advancement reports that approximately 274,000 sharks are killed globally each day.
On Monday, Pugh referred to the decline in shark populations as “ecoside.”
“I believe that protecting sharks is a crucial piece of the ocean’s conservation puzzle,” he remarked.
The film “Jaws,” shot in Edgartown—referred to as Amity Island in the movie—transformed Hollywood’s blockbuster landscape upon its release in the summer of 1975, breaking box office records and winning three Academy Awards. Its portrayal of sharks has impacted public perception for decades.
Both director Steven Spielberg and writer Peter Benchley regretted the fear that the film instilled in viewers regarding sharks and have since contributed to conservation initiatives, spurred by declining shark populations due to commercial fishing.
Pugh’s efforts coincided with the first confirmed shark sightings of the season at the New England Aquarium, near Nantucket. For safety, Pugh was accompanied by a safety team in a kayak, equipped with “shark shield” devices that generate low-level electric fields in the water to deter sharks without harming them.
Though no sharks were spotted during his swim, he did encounter sunfish, seals, and terns.
Pugh is traveling to New York for a few days for interviews addressing swimming and shark conservation before returning to his home in Plymouth, England.
“Now the real hard work begins—communicating this message to policymakers,” Pugh notes.
___This story corrects Pugh’s swimming distance to approximately 60 miles instead of 62 miles, based on revised calculations from his team.___
View the AP Photo Gallery and follow Pugh’s Swim around Martha’s Vineyard here.
Source: apnews.com