Lewis Pugh

“An estimated 100 million sharks are fished out of the world's oceans every year. Take a minute to mull over that figure. That's over a quarter of a million animals each day … If this number of humans were killed in a year, it would be called genocide. There is a name for what is happening in our oceans today: it is ecocide.”

“A healthy ocean is an ocean with sharks. Take away an apex predator and it’s like removing the lions from the Serengeti. It won’t be long before the gazelle, zebras and wildebeest have multiplied and eaten all the grass. And when the land is laid bare the grazers will starve to death. Predators are crucial for a healthy ecosystem – be it on land or in the water.”

“These are areas of unparalleled natural beauty to be handed to our children undisturbed. We are merely custodians. You would not build a toll plaza and an administration block in the Grand Canyon or next to the Victoria Falls or within any other World Heritage Site.””

“The English Channel is the perfect stretch of water to truly test the human mind.”

“Sometimes the moments that challenge us the most, define us.”

“The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations is our most important human right.”

“Everywhere water is under threat. It is our most precious resource. And there is no alternative to it.”

“Unless our children have been into nature, it is unlikely they will care about it when they grow up.”

“We made fracking a civil rights issue. Because that is what it is. We all have a right to a healthy environment and to clean water. And so do our children.”

“There is nothing more powerful than the made-up mind.”

“A thought came across my mind: if things go pear-shaped on this swim, how long will it take for my frozen body to sink the four and a half kilometers to the bottom of the ocean?”

“There’s nothing more chilling than swimming across open sea, where recently there used to be a solid glacier.”

“If we pass on an unsustainable environment to our children we have failed them.”

“You don't know pain until you've had a stalactite in your cock.”

“You must not dither - swim like you're running through a minefield.”

“To do anything worthwhile, you will face periods of grinding doubt and fear.”

“The trick is to make fear your friend. Fear forces you to prepare more rigorously and see potential problems more quickly.”

“Being the first to undertake a swim is exponentially harder than going second. You don’t know what will happen. The fear can be crippling. It’s much easier to go second. You know it’s possible. But the world is divided into pioneers and followers. You are one or the other. I prefer to be a pioneer.”

“My mind has to be ready. My body also has to be ready. But even more important, my heart has to be ready. What I mean by that is for the swims I do, I must have a burning reason.”

“There's a tyranny in perfection. Just do things to the very best of your ability. Then move on.”