Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh, a British-South African athlete, is on the verge of completing a 62-mile (100-kilometer) swim around Martha’s Vineyard — a feat that would make him the first person to ever swim the full distance around the island.
Pugh began his journey on May 15, swimming for hours each day in frigid 47°F (8°C) waters to raise awareness about shark conservation. His effort coincides with the 50th anniversary of the film Jaws, which he says contributed to widespread fear and misunderstanding of sharks. He hopes to shift public perception and advocate for stronger protections for the marine predators.
“It was a movie about sharks attacking people, but for 50 years we’ve been attacking sharks,” said Pugh before diving in near the Edgartown Lighthouse. “It’s unsustainable. It’s madness. We must show them respect.”
At 55, Pugh is no stranger to challenging swims. He has swum near glaciers, volcanoes, and even alongside polar bears and crocodiles. He was the first to complete long-distance swims in all the world’s oceans and to swim across the North Pole. He also serves as the United Nations Patron of the Oceans, often using extreme swims to raise environmental awareness.
Pugh highlighted the alarming number of sharks killed globally — nearly 100 million each year, or roughly 274,000 per day — as a critical reason for his campaign.
Jaws, filmed in Edgartown (fictionally called Amity Island in the movie), became a cultural phenomenon after its 1975 release. It sparked decades of fear surrounding sharks, a narrative its creators later regretted. Both director Steven Spielberg and author Peter Benchley eventually joined conservation efforts as shark populations began to plummet.
Braving tough weather, including heavy rain and coastal flooding from a nor’easter, Pugh has pressed on, swimming with minimal gear: just a swim cap, goggles, and trunks. Safety teams accompany him by boat and kayak, equipped with a “Shark Shield” device that emits a low-intensity electric field to deter sharks without causing harm.
Pugh’s swim also coincides with the New England Aquarium’s first reported white shark sighting of the season near Nantucket. Despite the risks, he remains committed to finishing the swim and spreading his conservation message.