Endurance athlete doing record swim where Jaws was filmed ‘more terrified of a world without sharks’

Lewis Pugh has followed an unspoken norm during his profession arsenic 1 of nan world’s astir daring endurance swimmers: Don’t talk astir sharks. 

But he plans to break that this week connected a aquatics astir Martha’s Vineyard, wherever Jaws was filmed 50 years ago.

The British-South African was nan first personification to complete a long-distance aquatics successful each water of nan world - and has taken connected utmost conditions everyplace from Mount Everest to the Arctic.

“On this swim, it’s very different: We’re conscionable talking astir sharks each nan time,” joked Pugh, who will, arsenic usual, deterioration nary wetsuit.

For his aquatics astir Martha’s Vineyard successful 8-degree Celsius h2o he will deterioration conscionable trunks, a headdress and goggles.

A aquatics for sharks

Pugh, 55, is undertaking nan situation because he wants to alteration nationalist cognition astir nan now at-risk animals - which he said were maligned by nan blockbuster movie arsenic “villains, arsenic cold-blooded killers.” He will impulse for much protection for sharks.

On Thursday, opening astatine nan Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, he will aquatics for 3 aliases 4 hours successful nan brutally acold surf, people his advancement and walk nan remainder of his waking hours connected nan Vineyard educating nan nationalist astir sharks. 

Then, he'll get successful nan h2o and do it again - and again, for an estimated 12 days, aliases nevertheless agelong it takes him to complete nan 100-kilometre swim.

He originates nan travel conscionable aft nan New England Aquarium confirmed nan first achromatic shark sighting of nan season, earlier this week disconnected nan seashore of Nantucket.

“It’s going to trial maine not only physically, but besides mentally,” he said, while scoping retired upwind conditions by nan starting line. 

“I mean each azygous time I’m going to beryllium speaking astir sharks, sharks, sharks, sharks. Then, ultimately, I’ve sewage to get successful nan h2o afterwards and do nan swim. I suppose you tin ideate what I’ll beryllium reasoning about.”

Around 274,000 sharks are killed globally each day

Pugh said nan aquatics will beryllium among nan astir difficult he’s undertaken, which says a batch for personification who has swum adjacent glaciers and volcanoes, and among hippos, crocodiles and polar bears. 

No 1 has ever swum astir nan land of Martha's Vineyard before.

But Pugh, who often swims to raise consciousness for biology causes - and was this twelvemonth named nan United Nations Patron of nan Oceans - said nary aquatics is without consequence and that drastic measures are needed to get his connection across. 

Namely: astir 274,000 sharks are killed globally each time - a complaint of 100 cardinal each year, according to nan American Association for nan Advancement of Science.

“It was a movie astir sharks attacking humans and for 50 years, we person been attacking sharks,” he said of Jaws. “It’s wholly unsustainable. It’s madness. We request to respect them.”

He emphasises that nan aquatics is not thing non-professionals should attempt. He’s accompanied by information unit successful a vessel and kayak and uses a “Shark Shield” instrumentality that deters sharks utilizing an electrical section without harming them.

Pugh remembers emotion fearfulness arsenic a 16-year-old watching Jaws for nan first time. Over decades of study and research, awe and respect person replaced his fear, arsenic he realised nan domiciled they play successful maintaining Earth’s progressively vulnerable ecosystems.

“I’m much terrified of a world without sharks, aliases without predators,” he said.

The ‘Jaws’ effect connected sharks

Jaws is credited for creating Hollywood’s blockbuster civilization erstwhile it was released successful summertime 1975, becoming nan highest grossing movie up until that clip and earning 3 Academy Awards. It would effect really galore viewed nan water for decades to come.

Both head Steven Spielberg and writer Peter Benchley person expressed regret complete nan effect of nan movie connected viewers’ cognition of sharks. Both person since contributed to conservation efforts for animals, which person seen populations depleted owed to factors for illustration overfishing and climate change.

Discovery Channel and nan National Geographic Channel each twelvemonth merchandise programming astir sharks to amended nan nationalist astir nan predator.

Greg Skomal, marine fisheries biologist astatine Martha’s Vineyard Fisheries wrong nan Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said galore group show him they still won't aquatics successful nan water because of nan sheer panic caused by nan film.

“I thin to perceive nan look that, ‘I haven’t gone successful nan h2o since Jaws came out,’” he said.

But Skomal, who published a book challenging nan film's inaccuracies, said Jaws besides inspired galore group - including him - to study marine biology, starring to accrued research, acceptance and respect for nan creatures.

If Jaws were made today, he doesn't deliberation it'd person nan aforesaid effect. But successful nan 1970s, “it was conscionable cleanable successful position of generating this level of fearfulness to a nationalist that was mostly uneducated astir sharks, because we were uneducated. Scientists didn’t cognize a batch astir sharks.”

Skomal said nan biggest threat contributing to nan diminution of nan shark organization now is commercial fishing, which exploded successful nan precocious 1970s and is coming driven by precocious request for fins and nutrient utilized successful nutrient dishes, arsenic good arsenic nan usage of tegument to make leather and lipid and cartilage for cosmetics.

“I deliberation we’ve really moved distant from this feeling, aliases nan aged adage that, ‘The only bully shark is simply a dormant shark,’” he said. “We’re decidedly morphing from fearfulness to fascination, aliases possibly a operation of both.”