On January 23, 2020, endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh became the first person to swim beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Wearing only swim trunks, a cap, and goggles, Pugh completed a 1-kilometer swim through a subglacial river in 0.1°C water, enduring freezing temperatures for 10 minutes and 17 seconds.
During the swim, Pugh navigated through shifting shades of turquoise, indigo, and dark icy tunnels filled with hanging stalactites. At one point, the ice shifted loudly overhead, creating a tense moment in what he called the most beautiful and terrifying swim of his life.
Dubbed the "Sir Edmund Hillary of swimming," Pugh serves as the UN Patron of the Oceans. His subglacial Antarctic voyage, alongside historic swims at the North Pole, Mount Everest, and across five oceans, highlights the urgent need to protect vulnerable polar ecosystems.
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