Gordon Lewis Pugh: The Human Polar Bear

By Roger Alexander

When British explorer, endurance swimmer and environmentalist Lewis Gordon Pugh took the Investec North Pole Challenge – a one kilometre swim in an area that should be frozen over to demonstrate the devastating impact of climate change – it was therefore only natural that he called upon Villemont, to act as timekeeper for what would eventually be a record-breaking feat.

Just like the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen who inspired him, Lewis Pugh planned this dangerous expedition with meticulous care. His preparation, both logistically and physically, enabled him to face the elements under the optimal conditions. But preparation alone, however thorough, were not enough.

In the process, Pugh became the only person to ever take a long-distance swim at the North Pole. Wearing only a Speedo, cap, and goggles, he managed to paddle 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) in saltwater that was a frigid -1.7 degrees C – below the freezing point of freshwater. It was the coldest water in which a human had ever swum.

The geographic North Pole is situated at 90º North and the previous record held for the coldest point swum by a human is 0ºC off Antarctica – a record also held by Pugh. The record-breaking swim in an area that should be frozen over was to demonstrate the devastating impact of climate change.

“Just five or 10 years ago this swim would never have been possible - most people have no idea that you can find patches of open sea at the North Pole in summer,” explained Pugh before leaving for the North Pole.

Pugh set off from Murmansk in the Russian icebreaker ‘Yamal’ with his team on July 8, 2007 that included expedition scout Jørgen Amundsen, who skied alongside him to find open sea to make the record attempt.  (Jørgen Amundsen is a relative of Roald Amundsen, who was the first man to walk to the South Pole and first man to fly across the Arctic Ocean via the North Pole.)

Other team members included his mind coach David Becker and Professor Tim Noakes of the University of Cape Town, who is a leading expert on the effect of cold water on the human body.

The logistics were a nightmare (e.g. finding a suitable place to for Lewis to swim, positioning the crew and getting Lewis sufficiently warm immediately after the swim) and the conditions are very unpredictable (e.g. ice drifting over the open water, where the swim was being attempted or a polar bear in the region).

However, it was clear that Lewis wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way and any negative thoughts were dismissed and replaced by proper and proactive planning for what lay ahead.

On Day 4 of the voyage (July 12) Lewis wrote in his diary, “I woke up hoping to get an opportunity to undertake my first training session in the Arctic waters which would also give the team their all important dress rehearsal for Sunday (July 15, 2007).”

By now the terrain had changed dramatically. From horizon to horizon (you are on the top of the world and everywhere you look is the horizon!), the surface area was covered in thick ice, extending to three or four metres thick in some places. The large Russian icebreaker continued to plunge forward through the ice, seeking out occasional open spaces of water in which to increase its speed.

 At around 5 p.m. the Yamal was brought to a complete standstill. Professor Noakes took the temperature of the water - a chilling minus 1.8 degrees centigrade. This would be the coldest and most northerly long-distance swim to date in the world. 

After taking a couple of pictures and completing the set-up it was time to get down to business. It took Lewis about 10 minutes to mentally prepare himself before diving in wearing just his Speedo briefs, swimming cap and goggles as prescribed by the (English) Channel Swimming Association Rules.

“I’d planned to do five minutes,” Lewis wrote. “All went according to plan. I swam 297 metres in the five minutes and my team managed to get me back on to the ship and into a hot shower within five minutes of getting out the water.”

Over dinner that night it was evident that although Lewis spent only five minutes in the water, the difference in temperature between 0 degrees (the temperature of his previous swim in the Antarctic) and -1.8 degrees was much bigger than expected. So with the first record established Lewis knew that the main swim was not going to be easy.

It was about minus 1 degree outside, and the first sunny day, and the Yamal had passed the latitude 86 degrees North. The ship made steady progress throughout the day due to the fact that there were regular patches of open water through which the Yamal could travel speedily. Lewis expected much thicker ice and wondered, “Is this because of climate change?”

The closer the ship got to its destination, the quieter Lewis became. It was clear he was busy preparing himself for what lay ahead. In the late afternoon we reached the North Pole, almost a day ahead of schedule! After months of training and preparation the time had come and the sense of anticipation was huge.

The team gathered on the ship’s bridge for the last briefing and to delegate responsibilities amongst the team members so Lewis could focus entirely on the job at hand - swimming a distance of no less than 1000 metres at the North Pole.

After searching for an appropriate piece of water (a patch of open water at least 250 metres in length and sufficiently wide for two zodiacs –rigid inflatable boats - to accompany Lewis), Yamal had to be positioned perfectly to off-load the team, equipment and zodiacs. 

Lewis found the perfect piece of water and the captain did an incredible job of getting the Yamal into position.  If he got it wrong, the ice would be too dangerous and the open water would be disturbed. Manoeuvring the ship with great expertise, the captain took about an hour to get it boat in position and then another two hours to off-load the zodiacs and equipment and lower the gangplank.

Just after 1 a.m. on July 15 morning the support team embarked onto the ice to measure the distance for the swim and to erect the 10 flags that would be the beacons for Lewis along the swimming route.  In these ferocious swimming conditions, it was important for Lewis to break up the swim into short chunks or targets. The flags along the water’s edge allowed him to do this.

Three Russian guards also accompanied the team to make sure that the perimeter was safe and to look out for polar bears.  Finally, the scene was set and Lewis, who had been back in the cabin mentally preparing for the challenge with his mind coach David Becker, was ready.

In order to complete the swim, Lewis needed to be emotionally charged and mentally focussed. Otherwise he would die.

On D-Day, July 15, just after 2 a.m., Lewis stepped off the gangplank onto the ice and then on to the zodiac.  He travelled to the starting position where the support team was gathered. Everyone could see that he was focussed on one thing and one thing only - completing the swim. Failure was not an option.

Still fully clothed, Lewis jogged the 250 metre perimeter of the course that was set out for him.  At the last flag, where the 3^rd Russian guard stood, he stopped and shook hands with him. After a short moment to prepare himself, he was in the water, swimming to the Norwegian flag.

Prof Tim Noakes and David Becker were on one zodiac next to Lewis, while Jørgen Amundsen was on skis on the ice next to Lewis, shouting encouragement and giving time and distance.

Lewis turned after the first 250 metres at around four minutes, a very quick time, looking strong and comfortable. The next 250 metres took about five minutes and it was clear that there was a very strong current in the water against which he had to swim.

As Lewis was starting out on his final 500 metres the fog came in.  It was an eerie sight for the team to see him almost disappear in the thick fog, swimming along a very narrow ledge in the frozen waters of the Arctic.

The water temperature varied from 0 to about -1 degrees and the depth of the water was estimated at about 4.3 km. The water was black and most unappealing. It is the last place on earth one would possibly wish to swim.

“The water was absolutely black,” Pugh said later; “It was like jumping into a dark black hole. It was frightening. The pain was immediate and felt like my body was on fire. I was in excruciating pain from beginning to end and I nearly quit on a few occasions. It was without doubt the hardest swim of my life. I just kept on looking at Jørgen (Amundsen). I will never ever give up in front of a Norwegian, let alone a relative of Roald Amundsen. There is too must rivalry between our two nations!"

Lewis turned for his last 250 metres into the strong current at around 14 minutes. At this stage he must have been in agony, but his will never seemed to falter.  This last 250 metres, against a strong current, would be driven by his mind and his strong desire to succeed.  The end was marked with the British and North Pole flags.

He finally stepped out of the water after 18 minutes 50 seconds, barely able to talk as his lips and jaw started to freeze.  He was clearly in a bad way and was barely coherent. He had made it, but the next hour would be critical, as his temperature would continue to drop quickly even after the swim.

This was an unprecedented record and a physically-challenging feat that required a long and intensive period of preparation. The swim took exactly 18 minutes and 50 seconds to complete. A new record! Never before has anyone swum such a great distance, braving such extreme temperatures, much less in the mythical part of the world that is the North Pole.

With trained precision, the team got him on the zodiac and drove him off into the mist where the Yamal and a warm shower were waiting for him.  By now his temperature was decreasing rapidly.  When entering the steaming shower his temperature bottomed out at just below 36 degrees and then it started to rise again.  His toes and fingers were blue and he had multiple cuts from the ice. He was clearly in a lot of pain. But he had made it and survived.

Two hours later, Lewis was still shivering heavily, but there was a broad smile on his face that would last for a long time and deservedly so!  With this swim he became the first human to complete a sub zero 1 km swim at the geographic North Pole (and broken his previous record of the most northerly long distance swim).

For the record, Lewis’s core body temperature was 36.5 degrees on exiting the water and dropped to 35 degrees 20 minutes later.

Speaking after his record-breaking feat, Lewis said, “I am obviously ecstatic to have succeeded but this swim is a triumph and a tragedy - a triumph that I could swim in such ferocious conditions but a tragedy that it’s possible to swim at the North Pole.” This feat, is the Lewis’ 21^st world record, has now officially entered the famous record book Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.

 After Lewis set a new record, Prof Noakes said, “Lewis has once again pushed the boundaries of what is possible in these conditions. To swim at the North Pole is an incredible achievement and is the culmination of years of unique endeavour by an astonishing individual.

At the end of the swim Lewis was showing obvious signs of distress but he never faltered and his performance was his best yet.  As on all his previous swims, his body recovered extremely quickly and he was back to normal within an hour of finishing the swim.”

“This expedition represents the end of an era of Arctic exploration as we know it,” said Amundsen. “Many expeditions fail each year when they encounter big stretches of open sea. I cannot imagine what pioneer explorers like Roald Amundsen and Admiral Robert Peary would have thought of someone swimming at the North Pole.”

It was Roald Amundsen’s long-term vision that led him to succeed where others had failed. He taught us that to be a great adventurer one must never lose sight of one's dream, and must continue to believe it is achievable even when all the evidence suggests otherwise.

Jørgen Amundsen, a decendant of great explorer who is Brand Director for Villemont of Geneva who provided the timekeeping said, “It was amazing to watch.  I have never seen someone push them to that limit before.  The atmosphere was incredible!  It was 18 minutes 50 seconds of a very special moment in history.  For Villemont it was extraordinary to time an event at the North Pole, where time does not exist. It was this vision that led him to become an example for modem explorers like Lewis Pugh.”

Pugh is helped ashore after his histroic feat

WHO IS LEWIS GORDON PUGH?

Lewis Gordon Pugh is a 39 year old lawyer who has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer.

Explorer, environmentalist and swimmer, Lewis is no stranger to completing seemingly impossible challenges where the odds are stacked against him. He is the only person to have completed a long distance swim in each of the five oceans of the world.

He was the first person to complete a long distance swim in all five oceans of the world and the first to complete a long distance swim in both the frozen waters of the Arctic and Antarctic. 

In 2003 he completed the first swim in the Barents Sea by swimming around North Cape, Europe’s most northern point.  The following year, he swam the entire length of the 204 km long Sognefjord, Norway’s longest fjord, in an epic feat that took him 21 days to complete. 

In August 2005 he plunged into the Arctic Ocean near the North Pole and swam 1 km around the most northern point of the island of Spitsbergen at 80° North to break the world record.  

In 2005 Lewis completed the most Southern swim in the world when he covered 1 km in 18 minutes at Petterman Island in Antarctica in waters of 0°C.

In 2006 he completed the challenge of swimming the entire length of the River Thames (203 miles).  In February 2007 year he swam across the width of the Maldives, a distance of some 87 miles. Both events were sponsored by Investec and promoted awareness of WWF’s climate change campaign.

In a career spanning nearly 20 years the explorer and endurance swimmer has ignored the dangers of sharks and polar bears and taken on winds and sea currents to prove just how far an athlete can push himself.

His unique ability to withstand cold and significantly raise his core body temperature in anticipation of water has surprised many top sports scientists and earned him the name, the human ‘Polar Bear’.

Alexander's Quest Doesn't End Here!

Sphere: Related Content