Lewis Pugh, a renowned endurance swimmer, is about to challenge an unspoken rule in his field: he’s going to talk about sharks. This week, he plans to swim around Martha’s Vineyard, the site where the iconic film “Jaws” was shot 50 years ago.
Hailing from Southern England, Pugh holds the distinction of completing long-distance swims in every sea across the globe, facing extreme conditions, from the heights of Mount Everest to the icy Arctic waters.
In a light-hearted remark, he expressed that this swim is a bit different since sharks are on everyone’s mind, especially as he opts not to wear his usual wetsuit.
Pugh, who is 55, will brave the frigid waters—at just 47 degrees Fahrenheit—wearing only trunks, a hat, and goggles.
His goal is to change public perceptions about endangered species. He believes the film has negatively portrayed sharks as “villains” and “cold-blooded killers.”
On Thursday, starting from the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, he intends to swim through the cold waters for three to four hours, all while drawing attention to the need for shark conservation.
He anticipates that this swim will take approximately 12 days to cover the 62-mile route.
Pugh’s journey kicks off shortly after a sighting of a white shark off Nantucket, marking the beginning of the season.
“I’m going to not only challenge myself physically but mentally as well,” he says. “I’ll be talking about sharks constantly, and then I’ll need to get in the water. You can probably guess what’s on my mind.”
A world without predators
Pugh describes this swim as one of the toughest he has faced, which is saying something considering he has swum near glaciers, volcanoes, and various dangerous wildlife. Yet, he points out that no one has ever swum around Martha’s Vineyard before.
In his environmental advocacy, he was recently appointed as the United Nations Patron of the Oceans. He emphasizes that swimming poses risks, and that dramatic measures aren’t needed to convey his message. Alarmingly, an estimated 274,000 sharks are killed globally every single day.
“The film portrays sharks attacking humans, yet for 50 years, we’ve been attacking sharks,” he remarked about “Jaws.” “That’s completely unsustainable. It’s time we respect them.”
Pugh stresses that swimming is not for amateurs; he uses a “shark shield” device, supported by a boat and kayak for safety, which creates electric fields to deter sharks without any harm to them.
He recalls the fear he felt watching “Jaws” as a teenager, but has since replaced that fear with respect as he has learned about their critical role in our ecosystem.
“Living in a world without sharks—or predators—is even scarier,” he stated.
“Jaws” and its impact on sharks
The movie “Jaws” is often credited with establishing the blockbuster phenomenon in Hollywood when it premiered in the summer of 1975. It became the highest-grossing film of its time and won three Academy Awards, greatly influencing public perceptions of ocean life for years.
Both director Steven Spielberg and writer Peter Benchley have expressed regret over how the film shaped people’s views of sharks, and they have supported various conservation initiatives in response to declining shark populations due to overfishing and climate change.
The Discovery Channel and National Geographic regularly produce programs to educate the public about sharks.
Greg Skomal, a marine fisheries biologist at Martha’s Vineyard, noted that many people still hesitate to swim in the ocean due to fear stemming from the film.
“I often hear people say they haven’t gone back in the water since ‘Jaws’ came out,” he shared.
However, Skomal, who has published a book challenging the inaccuracies of the film, noted that “Jaws” inspired many, including him, to pursue marine biology, leading to better understanding and respect for marine life.
If “Jaws” were released today, he doubts it would have the same impact, though he acknowledges that when it came out in the 1970s, it played into a collective fear stemming from a lack of knowledge about sharks.
Skomal cited commercial fishing as the primary threat to shark populations, especially since it surged in the late 1970s due to high demand for shark meat and fins, as well as for materials used in cosmetic products.
“We’ve cultivated this belief that the only good shark is a dead shark,” he said, “but we’re gradually shifting from fear to fascination, perhaps a mix of both.”
