Endurance Swimmer Lewis Pugh Completes First Martha's Vineyard Circumnavigation to Boost Shark Conservation

Endurance swimmer and conservationist Lewis Pugh completed a groundbreaking 60-mile swim around Martha's Vineyard to raise awareness about shark protection ahead of the 50th anniversary of the film "Jaws," which he says unfairly portrayed sharks as villains. Over 12 days, Pugh braved frigid 47-degree waters and challenging weather conditions, including a nor'easter, swimming approximately 24 hours in total and becoming the first person to circumnavigate the island. Emphasizing that sharks face severe threats from commercial fishing and calling their mass killing "ecocide," Pugh urged a shift in public perception and stronger policy measures to protect these vital ocean predators. Despite swimming during the start of shark migration season and using a non-harmful deterrent, he encountered no sharks but highlighted the crucial role sharks play in ocean health. Pugh described the swim as one of his toughest feats in a nearly 40-year career that includes swimming at the North Pole and among dangerous wildlife. He concluded that after such an intense journey, his perspective on sharks and the ocean had profoundly changed, advocating for coexistence rather than fear.