Fifty years after the blockbuster film “Jaws” turned sharks into the world’s most feared underwater villains, celebrated endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh will seek to rewrite the narrative on sharks for a new generation.
From May 15–26, 2025, Pugh will swim the 60-mile (96 km) circumference of Martha’s Vineyard — the same waters that terrified millions — to raise awareness about the slaughter of sharks worldwide and its effect on ocean ecosystems.
A shark attack recently killed an Israeli in area where sharks were known to congregate. Feeding the sharks, which was warned against, is believed to be the cause of the tragic accident.
Although ocean swimming carries inherent risks, Pugh’s team will take precautions to reduce encounters with sharks.
“I’m frightened of sharks,” Pugh readily admits. “But I’m more terrified of a world without them, and that’s what we’re looking at if we don’t act now. Without sharks to keep them in balance, marine ecosystems are unraveling at frightening speed. We need a new narrative about these magnificent animals because the one we’ve been hearing for the past 50 years threatens our oceans.”
Since 1970, shark populations have plummeted by approximately 70% worldwide through overfishing and habitat destruction, the Lewis Pugh Foundation noted. Each year, an estimated 100 million sharks are killed — that’s 274,000 every single day — for their fins, meat, oil, and sport. The result isn’t just species loss; it’s ecological collapse, with devastating consequences for ocean health and global food security.
“Sharks are integral to ocean health, and ocean health is integral to human survival,” says Pugh. “This is not just about future generations. We must learn to respect and protect sharks today, and this will be my key message.”
Over the past few decades Great White Shark numbers have recovered around Martha’s Vineyard thanks to conservation efforts. In addition, Pugh says, Massachusetts, to its credit, has recently taken efforts to protect white sharks from on-shore fishing. But this is not the case worldwide, where Great White Sharks are under increased threat.
As an endurance swimmer Pugh is unparalleled. He has pioneered swims in some of the most vulnerable ecosystems on earth to campaign for their protection. Most recently, in 2023, he swam the 315-mile (507km) Hudson River to praise its clean-up and highlight how rivers affect ocean health. The SHARK SWIM launches a three-year campaign by the Lewis Pugh Foundation to engage over one billion people with science, education, and acts of advocacy. It’s a central thrust of LPF’s 30×30 initiative: to fully protect 30% of our oceans by 2030.
“When we damage the environment, we create conditions that are ripe for conflict,” Pugh says. “But when we protect the environment, we foster peace. For centuries we have not only been fighting over the environment, we have been fighting against it. We must learn to make peace with nature for the sake of future generations.”
You can follow his swim here.
