Lewis Gordon Pugh is well-known for his (crazy?) cold water swimming. An environmental campaigner, extreme swimmer, lawyer and motivational speaker, it seems there’s little this inspirational man can’t do.

Born in Plymouth, England and having spent some time studying at the University of Cape Town, Lewis is a global man and spends much of his time traveling the world, swimming and speaking at events to raise awareness for issues he feels strongly about. He has a busy speaking schedule, undertaking to do over 100 talks a year around the world – his leadership speech in America at the Business Innovation Forum Conference has been voted one of the 7 most inspiring video talks not he internet. He is widely liked within global media and his topics range from “Vision”, “Goal Setting” and “Planning and Preparation” to “Power of the mind”, “Self Belief” and “Protecting the Environment”.

Lewis was the very first man to complete long distance swims in every ocean in the world, and is arguably known as the best cold water swimmer there is. He says on a simple level he loves pushing boundaries and is passionate about swimming. But on a deeper level he sees and experiences first-hand the effects of climate change – he swims in water from melting glaciers.
Last night (Wednesday 23 June) Kalkbay Books (funnily enough, situated in Kalkbay) presented an interview with Lewis Gordon Pugh to launch his new book “Achieving The Impossible”. I was lucky enough to attend the launch with my mom and aunt.

Two things I must say about Lewis; firstly he has an insanely quick and refreshing sense of humour, secondly Lewis is truly a down-to-earth and honest person. He has swum in some of the most extreme conditions and in vulnerable ecosystems. In 2007 he was the first person to swim across the North Pole. His reason – to highlight the melting Arctic sea ice. In 2010 he undertook to swim across the glacial lake on Mount Everest. This time to highlight the Himalayas’ melting glaciers.

The water degrees (2 degrees C) and the altitude (5,300m) meant that this was one of Lewis’ most difficult swims. On May 22 2010 Lewis commenced his 1km swim. He wants the world to know that these (melting) glaciers are a lifeline, and the effects of them disappearing will be catastrophic. Approximately 2 billion people rely on these Himalayan glaciers for their water supply. Lewis relies heavily on the strength and knowledge of the team behind him. He is openly grateful to the doctors, scientists and coaches who support and aid him in his actions.

During the intimate interview, we got a view of a humble man who felt his career as a lawyer was not enough for him some years back, and who has been inspired by his mother’s “never give up” attitude to really reach far beyond what most people would think they could reach. In the question and answer session, Lewis answered queries with insight and humility – about his past swimming endeavours, about his childhood and his time spent in the icy waters.
He is passionate about our planet and the ever-growing issue of climate change, and is not apologetic about this – when asked what he is doing locally he said he felt the main issue to focus on right now is climate change which is global. He admitted that he wasn’t involved in any local initiatives, as he explained that he felt the issue of climate change was the right battle for him to be fighting. His aim is to get stubborn world leaders to listen to their pleas so maybe something could be done about the situation.

When I asked him what was next he replied that the Himalayas are still in the spotlight for him and his team. He is planning a 150-day swim, and will be planning, training and organising this next trip for the next few months. He is not even sure it can be done, but if his past experiences and adventures are anything to go by there is very little that will stop this amazing swimmer. Watch his regularly updated website for more info.
Lewis won the crowd over, easily. Everyone in the room wanted to hear what he had to say, and, I hope, were inspired by his passion and dedication. After the questions were all asked and the answers given, either in seriousness or in a joking way with playful look in his eye, both my aunt and mother eagerly stood in line to get him to sign their newly acquired book, written by an inspiring author – Lewis Gordon Pugh.

What a magical evening with a motivational personality who has a great sense of humour and modesty, Lewis, it was very nice to meet you.