Polar Swimmer Takes on Antarctica

Polar swimming sensation Lewis Gordon Pugh is set to tackle his toughest challenge yet - a series of three long distance swims in Antarctica in water temperatures expected to be close to freezing. Amongst other swims, Lewis Gordon Pugh was the first person to swim around North Cape in Norway, around the Cape of Good Hope, down a Norwegian fjord and across an African Great Lake. The Norwegian press often refer to him as the "Ice Bear."

The British swimmer sets sail on December 11 to chase his dream of becoming the first person in the world to complete a long-distance swim in both the Arctic and in the Antarctic.

The new expedition named the British Antarctic Swimming Expedition ("BASE") comes just months after Pugh broke the record for the most northern swim in the world when he swam 1km off the Island of Spitsbergen near the North Pole.

In just a swimming costume and cap - in accordance with English Channel Swimming Association rules - Pugh will attempt the following three swims:

• South Shetland Islands: The first swim will be a 4km swim in the middle of Deception Island. The island, which was created by a volcano, is shaped like a horseshoe and inhabited by large colonies of penguins.

• Lemaire Channel: The second will be a 1km swim across the Lemaire Channel in water temperatures expected to be 0°C, or below (salt water freezes at -1,8°C). The channel, which lies off the Antarctic Peninsula, is regarded as one of the most beautiful places in Antarctica with carving blue glaciers and towering icebergs.

• The Antarctic Peninsula: The final swim will be a 1km swim near the Ukrainian scientific base of Vernadsky, at 65° South. This will break the record for the most southern long distance swim ever undertaken (there has only ever been 1 long distance swim in Antarctica and that was in 2002 by American swimmer Lynne Cox at Neko Harbour at 64° South), in water temperatures also expected to be O°C, or below.

Pugh who has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history said "these swims will definitely be the most challenging I have ever attempted. I expect the water will be even colder than the Arctic."

Pugh will be accompanied by a team of scientists, including world renowned sports scientist Professor Tim Noakes, Director of the University of Cape Town Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. The team will be based aboard the MV "Polar Star", a Canadian cruise ship.

In the Arctic Noakes found that Pugh's core body temperature rose to 38.2°C in anticipation of entering the icy ocean. Noakes said "for scientists this anticipatory thermogenesis (the creation of heat before an event) is fascinating. I believe it's a Pavlovian response to years of cold water training. It gives Lewis the edge and he is therefore able to swim in water which would disable most humans in seconds. We will be conducting further tests to prove this response exists beyond all reasonable doubt."