swimmers

"This wasn’t some kind of stunt. This was a symbolic swim, and I needed to be courageous. [...] Swimming in a wetsuit or drysuit just wouldn’t send the right signal."

"When you are walking up a mountain to attempt something that nobody’s ever tried before, and you pass people bringing corpses down, it becomes very clear that if you get it wrong, the consequences could be fatal."

"[...] it’s much easier to achieve big dreams than it is small ones. Big dreams require big passion. And when you’ve got passion it’s easier to inspire others to come along and help you."

"I’ve been swimming for 25 years, and I don’t think there is one swim that I have done where someone didn’t say beforehand, ‘I don’t think it’s possible’ or ‘You’ll never make it’. If someone tells you that you can’t achieve your dream, don’t waste good time arguing. Walk away and do it."

"Don’t look for other people to validate your dreams. If it feels right, just go for it."

"No matter how tough my day has been, when I dive into the sea, the world seems perfect."

"There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity, which should never be crossed."

"I always tell young swimmers: 'Practice things until you can't get them wrong. Not until you get them right.' There's a big difference."

"Law taught me how to argue passionately and rationally. That’s key to being a successful environmental campaigner. If you are too emotional you run the risk of turning off policy makers. And if you can’t present your arguments rationally, no one will listen to you."

"When I can’t decide which path to take, I have a meeting with the 75-year-old me. That person usually knows what to do."

"If you have a passion, follow it. It's the best barometer of what you will be good at. And choose a career that you enjoy – the extra money of a job you detest isn’t worth it."

"I tolerate cold water. Anyone who says they love swimming in freezing water is either lying or has never done it."

"I think it foolhardy to predict the absolute limits of human endurance."

"Too little confidence, and you're unable to act; too much confidence, and you're unable to hear."

"I look for swims where I can carry a powerful message. No message, no swim. I don’t get wet now unless it’s for a reason."

"I’ve swum through some very cold and rough seas. I think that’s made me more determined than the average person."

"As a pioneer swimmer, you've got to be willing to fail and try again. The point isn’t to learn to fail, the point is to learn to bounce back."

"There's a tyranny in perfection. Just do things to the very best of your ability. Then move on."

"My mind has to be ready. My body also has to be ready. But even more important, my heart has to be ready. What I mean by that is for the swims I do, I must have a burning reason."

"Being the first to undertake a swim is exponentially harder than going second. You don’t know what will happen. The fear can be crippling. It’s much easier to go second. You know it’s possible. But the world is divided into pioneers and followers. You are one or the other. I prefer to be a pioneer."

"The trick is to make fear your friend. Fear forces you to prepare more rigorously and see potential problems more quickly."

"To do anything worthwhile, you will face periods of grinding doubt and fear."

"You must not dither - swim like you're running through a minefield."

"You don't know pain until you've had a stalactite in your cock."

"If we pass on an unsustainable environment to our children we have failed them."

"There’s nothing more chilling than swimming across open sea, where recently there used to be a solid glacier."

"A thought came across my mind: if things go pear-shaped on this swim, how long will it take for my frozen body to sink the four and a half kilometers to the bottom of the ocean?"

"There is nothing more powerful than the made-up mind."

"We made fracking a civil rights issue. Because that is what it is. We all have a right to a healthy environment and to clean water. And so do our children."

"Unless our children have been into nature, it is unlikely they will care about it when they grow up."

"Everywhere water is under threat. It is our most precious resource. And there is no alternative to it."

"The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations is our most important human right."

"Sometimes the moments that challenge us the most, define us."

"The English Channel is the perfect stretch of water to truly test the human mind."

"These are areas of unparalleled natural beauty to be handed to our children undisturbed. We are merely custodians. You would not build a toll plaza and an administration block in the Grand Canyon or next to the Victoria Falls or within any other World Heritage Site.”"

"A healthy ocean is an ocean with sharks. Take away an apex predator and it’s like removing the lions from the Serengeti. It won’t be long before the gazelle, zebras and wildebeest have multiplied and eaten all the grass. And when the land is laid bare the grazers will starve to death. Predators are crucial for a healthy ecosystem – be it on land or in the water."

"An estimated 100 million sharks are fished out of the world's oceans every year. Take a minute to mull over that figure. That's over a quarter of a million animals each day … If this number of humans were killed in a year, it would be called genocide. There is a name for what is happening in our oceans today: it is ecocide."

"When we set aside MPAs we protect the marine habitat. When we do that, fish stocks recover. Which supports food security. When we create MPAs, we protect the coral, which protects the shoreline and provides shelter for fish. Marine Protected Areas are places people want to visit for ecotourism, so it's good for the economy. It has, if you'll pardon the pun, a ripple effect. Marine Protected Areas are good for the world economy, for the health of the oceans, for every person living on this planet."

"For us to find lasting peace between people, we must first make peace with nature."

"I always feel nostalgic when I disembark (off a ship). It's not that I don't like land. I just love being at sea."

"To succeed as a pioneer you need two things: ignorance and purpose. Ignorance of just how tough the path ahead will be. And a driving purpose, which keeps you going nonetheless."

"Most Channel crossings are won or lost before the first stroke is even taken."

"Never, ever did I think that there would be a debate in this arid country about which was more important – gas or water. We can survive without gas. We cannot live without water."

"Look around the world. Wherever you damage the environment, you have conflict. We have had enough conflict in [South Africa] – now is the time for peace."

"Now is the time for change. We cannot drill our way out of the energy crisis. The era of fossil fuels is over. We must invest in renewable energy. And we must not delay."

"The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of our generation and the benefit of future generations is our most crucial human right. I do not say that lightly - especially given South Africa’s past."

"We cannot afford the luxury of cynicism or even pessimism in our reaction to climate change. The situation is too serious. We must tackle it head on – and immediately."

"Afterwards, I saw a visible transformation in Pugh, and was reminded again of the power of a single event to change a sportsperson's life radically. I have witnessed this twice in my career - once when Joel Stransky kicked the winning goal in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, and now with Pugh's North Pole swim. Both became more complete and confident people after achieving such sporting milestones."

"It's not how you start, but it's how you finish."

"Records are always made to be broken no matter what they are. Anybody can do anything that they set their mind to."