Lewis Pugh
@LewisPugh
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Endurance Swimmer and @UNEP Patron of the Oceans. Follow @lewispughfdn for more on our work. Protecting the environment to foster peace.
Plymouth
Joined April 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Penguins taking back control in Cape Town. 🐧😃
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One of these contains plastic bags, the other contains jellyfish. Now imagine you're a hungry sea turtle.
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We need to take a step back and realize just what we are doing to the animal kingdom.
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I’ve just touched Dover harbour wall. That’s the end. 530kms in 49 days. I’ve done my bit, now it’s time for Government to do theirs. #TheLongSwim
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"It's only one plastic bottle", said 8 billion people. [📷 Ben Curtis]
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I can hardly believe what I have just experienced, swimming in a river UNDER the Antarctic ice sheet. Every shade of blue imaginable - it was utterly magnificent, and absolutely terrifying. Antarctica is melting. #Antarctica2020
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An octopus is nothing short of extraordinary. Let's start treating them that way. Happy #WorldOctopusDay 🌊🐙💙. 📸: Enrico Somogyi
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I got older, and the world got warmer. I swam at Nigard Glacier 15 years ago. Just look at it today.
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I’ve just swum the full length of the English Channel. This is my message. Please share. 1/7
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Below are the two most important metrics of our time. Top: the decline of biodiversity between 1970-2018. Below: global temperatures between 1850-2022.
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There are no "shark infested" waters. The sea belongs to them.
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I’ve rounded Dungeness! THIRD time lucky. It’s now a 26km swim to the end in Dover! #TheLongSwim
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What a sight to behold. Two blue whales breaching in total synchrony. Incredible! 🐋💙🐋
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I’ve finally reached the white cliffs of Dover! Please join me on Shakespeare Beach at 13.30 tomorrow as I complete the last 4km 🎉
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I’ve completed the #HudsonSwim2023! 315 miles from source to sea. People have fought for 50 years to get this river clean. And today she is beautiful. I will never forget the wildlife. The bald eagles, the vultures, the beavers and black bears. So this is my message 🏊♂️👇🏞️. The
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Huge announcement from the Egyptian Government!. 2,000km of Red Sea coral reefs will be protected in a new Marine Protected Area - the Great Fringing Reef MPA. These reefs are #biodiversity hotspots, critical for ocean health. I am beyond happy!🐬🐠🪸. #COP27Egypt
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50 days of swimming the English Channel, and the most surprising thing is what I have NOT seen. Why are more people not talking about this?
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I've received lots of questions about how I’m able to swim in the Arctic. Read this thread >
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The SA Aghulas II has arrived at the Antarctic ice shelf. What a sight! 🧊🚢 🇿🇦 . [Pic via Stiaan Kotze]
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What a sight to behold. Two blue whales breaching in total synchrony. Incredible! 🐋💙🐋.
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BREAKING NEWS: Today the UK has decided to forge ahead with our call to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. It’s an historic moment. 1/8
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Water is essential for life on Earth. Our rivers should be drinkable, fishable and swimmable. It is that simple. My letter to @thetimes today 💧🤮👇
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This saddens me so much. It was more convenient to kill a walrus in her natural environment than to enforce a “recommendation” that people do not get too close to her. We do not own the oceans. They are not our home. 🦭.
Walrus Freya who became attraction in Norway's Oslo Fjord put down
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East Antarctica is the coldest place on earth, and yet I was able to swim down a river under the ice-sheet. It was the most beautiful and terrifying experience of my life, and comes with an important message for us all. Please share. #Antarctica2020
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What on earth are we doing? This will all end up in our Ocean. 🎥: Tom Jackson
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BREAKING NEWS: Gibraltar is set to become the first country to declare a Climate Emergency. In our fight to save the planet, it needn't be the biggest who leads. Bravo Gibraltar!
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In 1920 there were 1 million pairs of African penguins. Now there are just 26,000. A change in the distribution and quantity of fish, caused by overfishing and climate change, have devastated their numbers. Today they are on the brink of extinction. #PenguinAwarenessDay
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Happy #WorldOceansDay! A day to celebrate the magnificence of life in our oceans and our responsibility to protect it.
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Milo, a gentle rescue dog from South Africa, has been sentenced to 120 days of quarantine in this UK facility. Standard procedure for a simple microchip malfunction, despite being fully vaccinated and healthy. No walks, no comfort, no adequate shelter. What would you do if this
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Imagine lying on a beach and a komodo dragon walks out the sea . with a turtle on its head! 🐢🦎😰
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My mother, Margery Pugh, passed away quietly yesterday. She was the kindest person I ever knew.
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I swam here in East Antarctica to bring you this message: . Having witnessed the rapid melting in this region, I have no doubt that we are now facing a climate emergency. At #COP26, world leaders need to step up or step aside. Time is running out. Please share. #Antarctica2020
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Huge congratulations to Dr Otto Thaning who has just completed a Robben Island swim at 80 years old!!! 2 hours 52 minutes. 🏆🏊♂️🏊♂️
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Extraordinary, amazing, super-human!!! Just when we think we’ve reached the limit of human endurance, someone shatters the records. Huge congratulations to Sarah Thomas on swimming the English Channel 4x continuously!!! 🏴🏊♀️🇫🇷 🏊♀️🏴🏊♀️🇫🇷🏊♀️🏴
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All rivers should be drinkable, fishable and swimmable. It is really that simple 💧🏞️ #HudsonSwim2023 #RiversAreLife
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A family of orcas off the Lofoten islands in Norway. A spectacular photograph from Cristina Mittermeier.
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I swam in East Antarctica to demonstrate how it is changing. Argentinian scientists have just logged a record air temperature of 18.3°C on the Antarctic Peninsula. We need urgent and ambitious action to tackle this climate crisis! . #Antarctica2020
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So baby swordfish are born with a TINY sword. Have a good day. 💙
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I've never seen anything like this. Tomorrow we'll start cleaning, and will not stop until this beach is clean.
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On #EarthDay let's celebrate our oceans - home to nearly 1/2 the world's known species. Please RT. http://t.co/OOuQXMyMKp.
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Today is World Oceans Day. Take a deep breath and join me underwater for a moment, surrounded by beautiful coral and fish. And then ask yourself the most important question of all. #WorldOceansDay
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GREAT NEWS for our precious ocean wildlife! England has today created 41 new marine conservation zones. 🦀🐠🐬 Thread👇
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Our world is fading from green to grey. The Biodiversity Stripes show a 69% decline in over 5,000 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles since 1970. #BiodiversityDay
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GREAT NEWS! 75 countries have now committed to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030. We're getting there. #30x30 🇦🇴🇦🇲🇦🇺🇧🇪🇧🇿🇧🇯🇧🇼🇨🇻🇰🇭🇨🇦🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇮🇭🇷🇨🇿🇩🇰🇩🇴🇨🇩🇪🇨🇪🇹🇫🇲🇫🇯🇫🇮🇫🇷🇬🇦🇩🇪🇬🇭🇬🇷🇬🇩🇬🇹🇬🇼🇭🇳🇮🇩🇮🇪🇮🇹🇯🇲🇯🇵🇯🇴🇰🇪🇱🇺🇲🇻🇲🇭🇲🇷🇲🇽🇲🇨🇲🇳🇲🇿🇳🇦🇳🇱🇳🇮🇳🇬🇳🇴🇵🇰🇵🇼🇵🇦🇵🇪🇵🇹🇨🇬🇷🇴🇷🇼🇸🇳🇸🇨🇸🇰🇸🇮🇪🇸🇰🇳🇸🇪🇨🇭🇹🇬🇦🇪🇺🇬🇬🇧🇺🇸🇻🇺
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This is the Greenland ice sheet melting. It is an existential threat to life on Earth. #ClimateSwim
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I am absolutely exhausted. But I will not quit. I’m going to make one more attempt to round Dungeness today. #TheLongSwim
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8 ways to reduce your single-use plastic in 2018. Please share.
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The temptation to quit will be strongest shortly after you've begun, and just before you finish. If you're aware of it, you can avoid it.
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I’ve crossed the start line. There’s a long way to go to end plastic pollution. #TheLongSwim
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A pod of dolphins swimming past Cape Town. What a joyful sight! 🐬
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We are off the streets and look who’s back! Please share. 🐺🐸🐯🐢🐻🐗🐑🐘🐏🐧
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I expect to finish my swim along the length of the English Channel at Shakespeare Beach in Dover at 1:30pm on Wednesday. Everyone welcome! #TheLongSwim
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Today, as the Larsen C ice shelf split from Antarctica, I swam in the High Arctic. Water was 10°C. Twelve years ago it was 3°. #ArcticDecade
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A view of my final training swim before I attempt the main swim. This spectacular beauty defies a darker reality - this river is the result of the melting ice-sheet in East Antarctica. It’s time for urgent action on the climate crisis. #Antarctica2020
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ANNOUNCEMENT: In two weeks I will attempt the toughest swim of my life across Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord. There is no better place in the world to show the dramatic impact of the Climate Crisis. This is ground zero. 🏊♂️🇬🇱🧊 #ClimateSwim.
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I’ve completed the #CoralSwim! 🪸. 123 km. 16 days. 2 continents. 1 message:. Coral reefs are vital, spectacular ecosystems that support a quarter of ocean life. Climate change is destroying them. At #COP27 we need urgent action to prevent any further loss. Please share.
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A different view of Earth. The sheer size of the Pacific Ocean is incredible.
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This stunning image by amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani just won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award. What an incredible shot 📸🐻❄️💙
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Somewhere in the deep blue waters off Britain, might be a Greenland shark that has witnessed the reign of 23 monarchs! Living up to 500 years, this magnificent creature may have been alive at the same time as Henry VIII (1509-1547) 👑🦈 #LongLiveTheShark . 📷: Nick Caloyianis
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"Only 6% of English rivers will be in good ecological condition by 2027." Painful to read. We must get a grip on this issue - quickly. #CleanItUp
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To swim past icebergs is to swim through history. All you can hear is bubbling - the sound of air being released from the ice; air that was trapped there thousands of years ago. #ClimateSwim
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BREAKING NEWS: I'm delighted to hear that the UK has heeded our call to fully protect the waters around Ascension Island, a jewel in the Atlantic Ocean. Protecting 30% of the world's oceans need not be a dream. THREAD👇
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Happy #WorldPenguinDay! A day to celebrate the most magnificent triathletes on the planet. Who else can waddle, swim and fly!? 🐧💕
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Imagine the future we'll face if we keep kicking the climate can down the road.
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There are 18 known species of penguin. My favourite is the Northern Rockhopper. Which is yours? 🐧💕🤔.#PenguinAwarenessDay
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BREAKING NEWS: Delighted that Tristan da Cunha has announced full protection for more than 90% of its waters! The area protected is huge - nearly triple the size of the UK. Home to penguins, albatrosses, seals, whales and many incredible animals. 🐧🦑🐳
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There is no commercial, cultural or scientific justification for slaughtering whales.
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Turtles have roamed the seas for over 200 million years. Let's ensure they continue to thrive for many millions more. Happy #InternationalTurtleDay 🙏🐢💚. 📸: Philip Waller
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I urge Sri Lanka to move their shipping lane out of the blue whales’ feeding ground. It requires a small deviation and will save the lives of these magnificent endangered animals. (Editorial from Times of London) 🐳
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There are better ways to show your love than with a plastic balloon.
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Incredible. This young polar bear knows instinctively to lower its centre of gravity to cross the thin ice 🐻❄️🧊
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All our oceans should look like this! What a glorious sight - gannets feeding off Shetland Islands. [📷 Hugh Harrop]
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Thank you to everyone who came to Dover yesterday!! I could not have imagined a more wonderful welcome. Never has the health of our oceans been so important. #TheLongSwim
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EU bans single-use plastic products such as the straws, cutlery and cotton buds that are clogging the world's oceans, starting in 2021.
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Here are eight things you can do to help protect and clean up our oceans – please share! (1/9)
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Industrial fishing is devastating our oceans around Britain. I’ve been amazed at how little wildlife there is left. The government needs to step in now.
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I’m so happy that my wife, Antoinette, has come to support me. My family’s sacrifice over the past year has been considerable and I’m so happy to be able to share these final moments with her.
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This is the only place dolphins belong. In the wild. I urge @Expedia to stop selling tickets to captive dolphin entertainment. #NoTanksExpedia
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I’ve now swum the length of the English Channel. 528kms. 49 gruelling days. And I'm still absolutely determined to keep fighting for our oceans. Sky News will feature a 1 hour documentary #TheLongSwim today at 11am and 4pm (UK time). Do please watch.
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Today started with an icy swim here in Antarctica, and later I will be talking about climate change with world leaders live in Bonn. #COP23. [Video credit - Michael Booth / UN Environment]
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“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
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By the end of Day 1, I hoped to have swam much further. In the morning I covered just 480m in 10 minutes. In the afternoon, 549m in the same time. But strong currents between the icebergs and 0°C water slowed me down. Tomorrow is another day. #ClimateSwim
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A really big thank you to @RoyalNavy for their encouragement on my last 50km to Dover. A hot shower and a curry was just what I needed!
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When you swim past an iceberg all you can hear is bubbling. It's just like the sound of Rice Krispies in milk. Snap, crackle, pop. It's the sound of tiny air bubbles being released from the ice; air that was trapped there thousands of years ago. #Antarctica2020
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It’s been 1 year since I swam the length of the English Channel to protest against the under-protection of UK waters. The turnaround has been remarkable. It’s fair to say that the UK now leads the world in ocean protection. 🐟🦀🐬👇
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One of these contains plastic bags, the other contains jellyfish. Now imagine you're a hungry sea turtle.
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A big thank you to the British media who have been so generous with their coverage of my campaign to protect our oceans. #TheLongSwim
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