Dodging sharks and 'koeksister waves' to shine a light on coral reefs – Lewis Pugh

oneer swimmer Lewis Pugh takes on endurance swims in the most endangered parts of the world to highlight global warming. It included swims in the Arctic and Antarctic. In the run-up to COP27, the climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Pugh became the first swimmer ever to cross the Red Sea, from Saudi Arabia to Egypt. He swam over some of the most precious coral in the world and invited world leaders to put their heads in the water to see what would be lost if the world continues on its track of global warming. Pugh told BizNews that the planet has warmed by 1.2 degrees Celsius, which resulted in devastating floods, wildfires and displacement. If it warms to 1.5 degrees Celsius, “We lose 70% of the world’s coral.” Pugh, who spent most of his formative years in South Africa, also speaks about the waves in the Red Sea that “twisted him like a koeksister”, the shark that appeared, how the man nicknamed ‘the Polar Bear’ doesn’t really like to swim in icy water, and about the day that he met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair… wearing a ‘sopping’ Speedo. – Linda van Tilburg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices