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World’s first Swim across the Red Sea

October 26, 2022

Endurance swimmer and UNEP Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh has completed the world’s first swim across the Red Sea. Pugh swam from Tiran Island, Saudi Arabia to Hurghada, Egypt. He swam to highlight the vulnerability of coral reefs due to the accelerating Climate Crisis.

The swim was timed to coincide with COP27, where world leaders will gather at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt for the UN Climate Conference. There, Pugh will be urging all nations to drastically cut their emissions, to tackle the Climate Crisis and protect the world’s oceans. He will also call for at least 30% of the world’s oceans to be protected by 2030.

The Red Sea Swim

Lewis left from Tiran Island, Saudi Arabia, on 11 October and reached Hurghada, Egypt on 26 October.

Pugh completed the 123-km swim in 16 days, swimming between 6km and 12km per day.

The swim took Lewis over some of the world’s most famous coral reefs. When he rounded the southernmost point of the Sinai Peninsula at Ras Mohammed National Park, he described the sea life as spectacular.

“There’s arid desert as far as the eye can see,” Pugh said, “but under the water, life explodes!”

Pugh also swam past Sharm el-Sheikh, where world leaders will gather for COP27 between 6 and 18 November.

Pugh says the most challenging part of the swim was crossing the Gulf of Suez, when sea conditions became very challenging.

“In all my years of swimming, I’ve never experienced anything like this. There were hazards coming at me from every angle. Extreme heat, high winds, big waves, sharks, oil tankers and container ships. I had to fight for every metre.”

The high winds and angry seas persisted until the end of the swim.

For the last section of his swim Lewis swam over a coral archipelago and finished at Hurghada at 2pm on 26 October.