The Long Swim

[Music] the Cape of Good Hope on the tip of South Africa home to some of the most treacherous waters on earth the currents are unpredictable and the temperatures are shockingly cold but for one man these appalling conditions are just perfect you got then check over there Indian over there you got the southern down there your three oceans meeting here say to storm here when you get in the water it is extremely unfriendly endurance athlete Lewis Pugh swims in the world's most dangerous waters in order to highlight the severe threats facing our oceans now he's attempting something unprecedented in the history of endurance swimming he's going to risk his life of England's southern shores in the most dangerous swim of his career we are completely redefining the eros of swimming [Music] [Music] this is a very very best place which I can train because it's some damn rough which was swirling underneath you it's it's scary and courage is a little bit like a muscle you need to be swimming in these conditions this is the best training Lewis is in the final stages of his preparation for the biggest challenge of his life I think the cumulative effect of day after day after day in the cold water the English Channel will make this without a shadow of a doubt the toughest sumup ever done I just don't know how I'll do it Lewis Pugh lives to swim and his achievements are astounding as some in the Arctic of some in icy waters of Antarctica are some in some of the most dangerous waters on this earth and the coldest waters I rank this 10 out of 10 for deputy I think this is the most difficult to swim I've ever undertaken by a long way I have seen our oceans change and we need a wake-up call we need to really take our ocean seriously and we need to be protecting them [Music] what I've been seeing is the impacts of climate change overfishing and pollution I've seen how these swims can actually change things with the long swim he's campaigning to fully protect 30% of our oceans by 2030 so about a thousand eight hundred people have some across the English Channel so from Dover to Calais or from Calais to Dover what I'm planning to do is to swim the full length of the English Channel so starting in Lands End and swimming all the way along the coasts of South of England all the way to the end to Dover it's five hundred and sixty kilometres and I think it's going to take me round about fifty days to complete it's a it's a mammoth swim [Music] these are the clear blue waters surrounding the Isle of Lundy twelve miles off the coast of North Devon it is Britain's first marine conservation zone and it teams with sub aquatic life it is Louis's dream to introduce protected areas like this around the whole coast and it's one of the goals of the long swim it's a special place that's a very very special place the first no takes out in the United Kingdom this area is protected shortly after I was born right and now we've seen the benefits you're not going to see short-term benefits when you're creating big marine protected areas it takes time and when the benefits come they really do come as wonderful just to swim here and to see the puffins and the Guillemots and the jellyfish and the seals and all these animals living as they should but when I came around the corner I saw two and I popped up my head and I saw these two told seals looking at me and Ana Cairo sir I didn't realize they were behind me it's humbling if you look at them and you're in their world and it's in this a beautiful world the waters around the United Kingdom are 750,000 square kilometres of which only seven square kilometres is properly protected this is a gold standard Marine Reserve the problem with it is it is just so small we now need to create a whole series of these around the United Kingdom in the most important in the most biodiverse areas to properly protect the waters around the UK it's an iconic swim the English Channel about a thousand eight hundred people are some across it I'm trying to bring a message back to the United Kingdom I've been away now for 30 years swimming in the world's oceans and have really seen them change dramatically if we are to protect these waters we now need to take serious action now all the grueling weeks of lewis's training are about to be put to the test [Music] over the next 50 days he will battle through treacherous currents and chilly waters wearing nothing more than swimming trunks goggles and a bathing cap [Music] [Music] [Music] put my head down and it's blue every single shade of blue I put my head up in these nice days everything I look up this blue side the whole world is turned blue I will be for 50 days it's a good like a washing machine underneath me better around the plate to be parts names and which is a great start a long way to go [Music] [Music] Lewis has succeeded in rounding Lands End it's taken two hours of intense effort and now it's time to rest [Music] to scored out there was fourteen point three degrees we've been swimming in in tougher conditions than this but I thought it was gonna be good karma today we're around land Zed and that was the main thing for today to get around lads it [Music] we've got eight of these charts between here lands and all the way to Dover the eight of them and all we've covered is about seven kilometers so bloomin long swim this for the next fifty days the moon is my boss the tides are determined by the moon our relationship the Earth's relationship with the moon and if you don't get it right you'll be going backwards I'll be going back towards Lands End it's been a good first day for Lewis he's completed his objective of rounding Lands End and morale is high but not every day is going to be as easy as the first because the channel holds many hidden dangers [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] it's 72 hours into Lewis pews attempt to swim the length of the English Channel and he's making good progress throughout the challenge Lewis's followed at all times by his support vessel the Aqualab when Lewis finishes a swim his location is marked by GPS we now log that when he gets out the water and tomorrow morning when he gets back in we'll put him in an exactly the same position once again the skipper is Steven Praetorius who charts the daily swim and keeps a constant eye on Lewis's well-being also onboard is a cook a physiotherapist and a press officer charged with making sure that the expedition's environmental message hits a wide audience although right now he has a more immediate task [Music] on the jellyfish spot at the moment and we're looking for these big yellow long tentacle things and when I see one on a direct reject fee with him on a blow this whistle very very very hard because it's difficult to get his attention there's no way around it there is so many jellyfish along this coastline and they're gonna be days when I'm gonna be very badly stung I put my hand on that jellyfish and then accidentally scooped it into my into my groin the toxic jellyfish posed the biggest threat to Lois during the long swim and he's in no doubt as to why there are so many it's a function of climate change waters are getting warmer because they're getting warmer we're getting more and more jellyfish it's not fun being a swimmer when they look when there's loads of jellyfish around [Music] we're off to the lizard nearest is gonna jump in the water six o'clock it's gonna be quite exciting generally he's going to go he's gonna get swept out to sea or he's gonna get swept into the rocks [Music] you can see a wall pulled over there you see one there big ones of it yeah so this current is moving very very quickly [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] luis always knew this stretch was going to be tricky but he's unprepared for just how much danger he is in never be in such a fast car to my life and it's quite extraordinary [Applause] on board they're concerned about how much longer they should allow Luis to keep swimming [Music] the cute guy for another 10 minutes I think we will put him on Felucia we all arrival to the place [Music] Luis is determined to keep to schedule but the crew are worried about the energy sucking effect of the current [Music] Louis yeah damn outside yeah yep well so it was like a river it was just swirling underneath me successfully shot the lizard loose generally don't like killing lizards this one we did it's a big milestone because we finished the first Bay no ants Bay next one actually doesn't have a name it's just in front of Plymouth and then the very very big one which is live Bay [Applause] but it's a it's a big milestone in the back while Lewis rests the crew encounters a timely reminder of one of the biggest threats facing the seas ocean one plastics zero after a few hours sleep Lewis is back in the water Stephen has made a decision to change course to try to catch up on the time lost fighting the lizard current is it the right one so we came in shore this afternoon hoping to pick up a little bit of a northeast Lee flowing shore after we rounded lizard and as it turns out it hasn't materialized so yeah swings and roundabouts have done well up to this point but today feels like a little kick in the teeth to be honest Lewis is down there swimming his hearts out I'm trying to help him and when it doesn't go your way you feel pretty bad than what is cold today as well and lots of jellyfish so we try and make it as easy as possible for EM and when it doesn't work out it's stuff [Music] one hour 20 Cabot pre-k and yesterday we were coming 6 days in that time apologize meant that full control [Applause] frustrating I really [Applause] [Music] I mean I hadn't see for so long we've run out of water so we're now using our final just to wash off because real off to see Prince Charles I guess he doesn't want me to smell like fish and chips in Cornwall the pressure groups surfers against sewage have organized an oceans plastic solutions day and they've invited along a very special guest I've been swimming in the world's oceans and they're changing and I think influences like the royal family hates of business these type of people are very very important in India guiding public opinion Lewis is delighted to have caught the attention of royalty for the campaign but time spent on Shore means that once again he has a lot of catching up to do [Music] and then back to harbor to a ball away to the north of the counties to meet the Prince of Wales to talk about what we're doing here and now require behind schedule it's just early nighttime now go get a soup into the night to make up the time there's no letting up it's like playing cricket if you get behind the run right you've finished [Music] it's three days since Lewis went ashore and the strain of having to keep to schedule has taken its toll what are you making lemon and ginger tea is not feeling too well today and hopefully this will cleanse a system he is feeling exhausted physically and mentally start thinking is sick he stopped changing you start believing is sick softly sorry for yourself don't just carry on some are ready yeah [Music] but no matter how bad his feeling Louis battles on hour after hour ultimately there's only so much he can give every single meter at the end there is a slug yeah and I'm literally squeezed it's like squeezing out that last tiny little bit of juice place I'll achieve those absolutely nothing left in me and I was just holding on at the end [Music] by now the Aquila is settled into a well-rehearsed routine but today they have some visitors good wearing swimming caps Christian is like you've had a mini ice pick [Music] self-styled mad swimmin jockey Covell holds the record for taking the longest time to swim across the channel so what better person to offer lewis moral support smashing [Music] this is a wake up with cleaner oceans you know with the plastic which people like Lewis do there are educate sailors will gain that message across three chairs the Lewis next stop a place very close to Louis's heart there with is Britain's ocean city it's a place of excellence for all things maritime and also people of Plymouth now are campaigning for first marine National Park here infamous sound to protect this area for future generations it's arrived in Plymouth is super special because this is where I grew up as a young boy and this is where I had my first swimming lesson as part of their campaign for a marine National Park the swimmers have gathered for a show of solidarity for the long swim anyway [Music] [Music] [Applause] you the moment we looking at about 25 to 30 knots mm-hmm until 12 o'clock I think we should get our asses out there you know you got a long way to swim it's on the edge of our alliance for that wind speed 25 to 30 knots maximum 30 knots I think we should just [Music] with winds at sea approaching gale force Lewis is facing the most challenging conditions of the swim to date everyday is assuming day this is number one can you safely get me out the wards again the to three safety connector sports even in these high seas Lewis is determined to power on but Stephen is nervous about the length of time he's spending in these energy sucking conditions [Music] it's easy to get off the boat so you need to get back on the bus especially in these conditions Louis is exhausted he's just over a third of the way through the swim but already the strain is beginning to show somebody just corkscrews like this that's miserable at some 450 minutes covered for kilometres is good but the longer you're in there the more tired you're getting the more Tiger getting the more chances are not being able to recover [Music] [Music] luis is now off the Dorset coast and here he's joined by some fellow swimmers who provide a much-needed boost to his morale we were swimming along peacefully they came along to say hello today's swimming with a dolphin it's a special day they come out of nowhere assume underneath you and darting backwards and forwards they're playing with you they're looking at you but there's even more special wing when you swim with them hear of English coast busy just don't expect them here this is why I'm doing this swimmer you know I'm campaigning for the protection of dolphins and whales and turtles and sharks all the magnificent animals that we have in our seas now these animals that don't have a voice of Parliament's requires people to stand up and speak on behalf of them and to say we need large fully protected marine protected areas where these animals come and live in peace and can start in juvenile in their numbers to what they used to be many many years ago after nearly four weeks of hard slog a cause for celebration lewis is now at the halfway point of the long swim but away from the cheers a serious problems developing lewis has been battling hard to stay on schedule but the strain he's placed on his body now threatens the success of the entire swim today to see if I still feel I focus call of pain [Music] the only thing that's real with a incredible pain just right here in my bicep and this started maybe 10 days ago and every day is just getting a little bit worse verse another's a big bump inside here [Music] be concerned because in the last couple of days he seems to erase all and it seems like it's not going away after rais'd and so we definitely need to get it seen to and basically we just need to try and maintain the area and get him through the rest of the swim they need the stains of time the feelings disappear [Music] after three more days of agony Lewis is finally forced to come ashore AFC Bournemouth is part of the local community and the people who come here or live on the coast and they're seeing what's happening on the coast and they care about it [Music] yes let's look at you let's examine you and then see what we can do in it in terms of helping you with your treatment is very very humbling there's a little groove in here in fact V that pretend there's your bicep tendon runs through this is your bicep tendon here you've got a little bit of irritation around the sheath of the tin and you see that little bit of fluid sitting there now that tendon of yours is what we call reactive it's reacted to the load that has got no surprise 25 days in the water so it's a repetitive strain injury and it's it's beginning to overload so it's reacting to that load and that's what's giving you a pain in the in the front thing as you finish approaches it's probably wise it doesn't give you advice on that yeah isometrics can be really helpful so static muscle contractions your yeah you want to create tension hold it 30 up to 30 seconds this list will help you will give you pain relief for about three hours so if you do this before you get in look before you get in the wood and you do it really well it gives you an analgesic effect so it actually stops that discomfort in the tendon but there's no quick fixes ideally you would say to people I'll back off what you're doing and it'll settle down it's fine we don't we don't have that luxury now so the pain side we dampen with those isometrics just holding a spear like that it kills the pain receptors really for about three hours you don't feel anything well you can do them what's three times a day really Oh Nick this is something I step in every day if you don't do it every day it's going to get worse and you're going to be in trouble in ten days time it's the moments which challenges the most which define us and I'm sore and I'm injured and I've got a long way to go and I'm not gonna stop I just don't want to get such a debilitating injury by the time I get to the end of the console again [Music] a few hours after the treatment and Lewis is back in the channel [Music] in spite of the rough seas he appears to be coping well but after a grueling session in the water disaster looms the wind has picked up causing the support vessel to accelerate away leaving an exhausted Lois struggling to keep up my biggest nightmare that at the end of a server absolutely exhausted and the Seas going like this and then you can slow it down and then up gone [Music] [Music] [Music] another shipping forecast issued by the Met Office on behalf of the maritime and Coastguard Agency at oh five oh five months with ten days left of the swim Luis and Steven are now faced with a familiar problem the weather temp Stover white Southwest five or six occasionally seven in Thames and over veering northwest three or four later mainly fair good so does 4/7 yeah yes unsuitable [Music] but the pressure starts building up because I've lost today sitting here waiting hour after hour after hour for the right conditions is it's really frustrating but I have to have that patience what 30 years of swimming has taught me is that if you go into the English Channel at the wrong time she'll spit you out luis is stuck going nowhere and with no sign of the weather clearing up there is now a very real danger his dream of swimming the length of the channel might come to nothing I probably got another 10 days and my shoulder is getting more and more painful and the weather is getting worse and worse and I don't know how long it's gonna last so I just I've got to get through tonight's swim at 1:00 a.m. the team heads out to see it's the final leg of the long swim to make up time lost to bad weather Louis is going to have to swim at night it's not a friendly place to be in the middle of the channel in the middle of the night is dark and I can normally see them but they can't see me they can't see what's happening in my eyes and that's always a very important thing to the skipper to see what's happening with me at night or they can see as a little glow stick on the back of me the greatest danger is his own support boat the catamaran weighs 10 tons it's easy to get off a boat just dive off but much more challenging at nighttime and especially in the storm where the boat is crashing up and down and I'm trying to grab a ladder and it's dark and you have a microsecond to make the right decision to make the wrong decision even knock yourself out or you can get crushed underneath that boat it's high stakes you feel very disorientated so you can't hear things you can't see things you're on your own in the middle of the black [Music] [Applause] we were blessed for the first must have been three weeks we had absolutely glamorous weather and just now the last two weeks it's really become quite challenging some big low pressures whipping in off the Atlantic in one off to the other and quite intense systems moving very very quickly so we've literally got a dive onto our swimming windows when we get them as we have placed the finishing line we've hardly got any miles in the bag so it's it's down to the wire at this point Lewis finishes just after dawn and the Gamble has paid off he has made up five of the six miles needed to stay on track every stroke I take his is getting me to the final destination I just got to keep on going irrespective of the weather conditions now I think in total I'll probably be doing well over half a million strokes a lot of mileage I've been dreaming about swimming past PG head for well since I started because this is really one of the most beautiful places in England there's the Seven Sisters and it's special [Music] it's 5:00 a.m. on day 43 and today we have for one big strim because it looks like it's gonna get a bit breezy this afternoon the weather is becoming quite unsettled by the dark ominous cloud looming relentless bad weather is wreaking havoc on the swim after six weeks the team is drained of energy the adrenalin Lewis had hoped were pushing through at the end hasn't materialized really tired average I'm getting about three four hours sleep a night and it will give you so much sleep deprivation and when you have sleep deprivation [Music] some today eight kilometers took me 2 hours 30 minutes it's like driving down a motorway at 10 km/h it's been agony [Music] Lewis has one last headline to tackle Dungeness this is proving to be the toughest role of them it's almost as if this one is saying yeah you think you can get me in this trailer come past me after a day in the water Lewis still can't make it round the point is this gets slower and slower and slower everything your meter is a battle and I just can't get around this headland so I think it's better to to get out and come back tomorrow will and I'm stronger [Music] to say we're the only people going on today like definitely hundred percent the seas are too rough for the catamaran so the team hires a small boat to get Lewis to his starting point and his second attempt at rounding Dungeness therefore cost girls our Waypoint is six miles offshore from where we are now so and run ontogeny so that's also going to be bigger Nastia and Will's called it so we're gonna head back very very very disappointed I saw you guys Ursula's I'm showing you a minute don't worry I said I wanted to go that's the way to go hundred your safety your safety is my responsibility Johnson show you wanna go my coding today was especially disappointing today I had to get a swim in to try get around Dungeness so we could get to Dover on time now what we faced was a situation where I have just got three days now where I've got to cover nearly 40 kilometres so now I'm gonna be swimming day and night to get to Dover on time absolutely determined now somehow to get around this point and once I'm around this point then we're on the homestretch but I'm lucky [Music] [Music] haha that's work Dungeness finally we're done Jeunesse was in my cabin last night in my bunk the sinking is gonna be some cruel twist of fate the being this channel wouldn't let me finish this [Music] I know it's 30 kilometres to Dober it's a straight run home on to the [Music] I've always knew that this son was going to be incredibly tough but I hadn't factored in was just hot tough it would be at the end I'm mentally exhausted and physically exhausted and emotionally exhausted the team is exhausted we are wor exhausted but also excited were so excited we can see the white blessed over the long swim has made the government sit up and take notice the UK's Environment Secretary is on board for Lewis's final dive into channel waters [Music] myself [Music] good luck come on [Music] I am NOT going to stop until we get the our coastline properly protected at the moment it isn't at the moment this place is being overfished there's huge amounts of pasture going into the oceans which is having a very very serious impact on the environment I won't stop until we get this situation sorted out by it's a bit tough there's a little bit colony got I think another two kilometres nah no so excited to finally get there I've been dreaming of this day but nearly 50 days to finally see the White Cliffs of Dover and over there is the end [Applause] [Music] and in just 49 days he makes [Music] this long swim is not about trying to become the first person to supercooling in his channel who was about trying to deliver a message do it it takes [Music] [Music] to just away [Music] see [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Sky News

Views: 171,536

Keywords: The, Long, Swim, Sky, News, Ocean, Reascue, Plastic, Polution, Beaches, eco, Swimming, sport, water, cornwall, dover, boat, serfing, journey, Lewis, Pugh, England, UK, Politics

Id: QAjo4horbUU

Length: 45min 59sec (2759 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 09 2018