Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh has completed a once-in-a-lifetime swim across the English Channel to highlight the crisis of ocean pollution.
Mr Pugh, from Plymouth, was greeted at Dovers Shakespeare Beach by his wife as well as Environment Secretary Michael Gove and other campaigners after dozens of local swimmers accompanied him along the final stretch.
Mr Pugh said he was feeling relieved and exhilarated after completing the 330-mile, seven-week swim.
He told the Press Association: Its been very, very long, weve been going for 49 days and Im exhausted, physically exhausted, mentally exhausted, so delighted to be here.
The 48-year-old is estimated to have made 500,000 to 750,000 strokes along the journey.
Manhunt under way after bicycle hit and run leaves woman fighting for life
Mr Pugh, UN patron of the oceans, set off from Lands End in Cornwall wearing Speedo swimming trunks, a cap and goggles on July 12.
Advertisement
Advertisement
He covered 10km to 20km (six to 12 miles) per day in the challenge, which was overseen by the Channel Swimming Association.
He persevered through the swim despite being told he had tendonitis and advised to rest by his physiotherapist just 10 days before the end.
Mr Pugh said hes now looking forward to a really good sleep after only getting three to four hours each day.
He said: The idea of swimming 550 kilometres was very, very daunting.
Alex Salmond resigns from SNP over sexual harassment allegations
Its more than double that Ive ever swum in my whole life […] Im 48 years old, Im certainly in the autumn of my swimming career, today weve tried to make it a very, very long autumn.
Mr Pugh is best known for undertaking the first swim across the North Pole in 2007 to highlight the melting of Arctic sea ice.
In 2010 he swam across a glacial lake on Mount Everest to draw attention to the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas.
The Long Swim is Mr Pughs latest Speedo diplomacy mission to highlight inadequate protection of UK waters.
Advertisement
Advertisement
The campaigner repeated his warning that just seven square kilometres (2.7 square miles) out of 750,000 square kilometres of UK waters are fully protected.
This is a crisis – be under no illusion that the combination of climate change, over-fishing and pollution altogether now are devastating the oceans, he said.
This is a message I conveyed to Secretary of State Michael Gove, that we need to take really urgent action.
We had some constructive and very frank discussions on the yacht, about the health of our oceans and what the UK Government, I feel, needs to be doing to help solve this crisis.
Mr Pugh accompanied marine conservation campaigners Surfers Against Sewage on beach cleans along his journey.
He now plans to do similar swims around the world.
Mr Pugh said: Its not just the UK thats protecting so little of its coastline, there are other nations in similar situations.
Advertisement
Advertisement
[contf]
[contfnew]
METRO
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
