First person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean

The first person to complete a long-distance swim (1 km+) in all five of Earth’s oceans is Lewis Pugh (UK), between 6 August 1992 and 27 January 2006.

The details of the ocean swims in chronological order were as follows:

- Atlantic: English Channel (England to France); 6 August 1992; 32 km (19.9 mi); 14 hr 50 min; water temp 17°C

- Arctic: Verlegenhuken, the northernmost point of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in the Norwegian Arctic; 19 August 2005; 1 km (0.6 mi); 20 min 30 sec; water temp 3°C

- Southern: Whaler’s Bay in Deception Island, South Shetland Islands; 16 December 2005; 1.6 km (1 mi); 30 min 30 sec; water temp 2°C

- Indian: Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa; 16 January 2006; 12 km (7.5 mi); 4 hr 57 min; water temp 20°C

- Pacific: Manly Beach to Sydney Harbour, Australia; 27 January 2006; 16 km (9.9 mi); 6 hr 1 min; water temp 23°C

For GWR purposes, a “long-distance swim” is considered one that covers more than 1 km (0.62 mi). However in the professional swimming community, 10 km (6.2 mi) is widely regarded as the minimum to be considered "long distance" in mild waters, with that reducing to 1 km in polar waters (or sub 5°C). Pugh was the first to achieve this record based on both criteria.

Extreme swimmer, environmental activist and maritime lawyer Lewis Pugh has performed a number of record-breaking (and often unprecedented) swimming feats in order to draw attention to climate change, over-fishing and pollution, and to campaign for greater protection of the oceans. In 2013, he was elected the UN's first Patron of the Oceans.