Endurance swimmer is attempting first-ever swim around Martha’s Vineyard ahead of ‘Jaws’ anniversary

By LEAH WILLINGHAM VINEYARD HAVEN Mass AP Lewis Pugh has followed an unspoken rule during his career as one of the world s bulk daring endurance swimmers Don t talk about sharks But he plans to break that this week on a swim around Martha s Vineyard where Jaws was filmed years ago Related Articles The Menendez brothers affair reflects a shifting beliefs across decades Judge to hear arguments to Louisiana law listing abortion pills as controlled dangerous substances Older people in crosshairs as ruling body restarts Social Safety garnishment on participant loans Millions in food aid for children and seniors at jeopardy in proposed SNAP cuts Healey warns Cassie s messages with Sean Diddy Combs demonstrated interest in sexual encounters The British-South African was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world and has taken on extreme conditions everywhere from Mount Everest to the Arctic On this swim it s very different We re just talking about sharks all the time joked Pugh who will as usual wear no wetsuit For his swim around Martha s Vineyard in -degree water he will wear just trunks a cap and goggles Pugh is undertaking the challenge because he wants to change populace perception around the now at-risk animals which he announced were maligned by the blockbuster film as villains as cold-blooded killers He will urge for more protection for sharks On Thursday beginning at the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse he will swim for three or four hours in the brutally cold surf mark his progress and spend the rest of his waking hours on the Vineyard educating the general about sharks Then he ll get in the water and do it again and again for an estimated days or however long it takes him to complete the -mile swim He begins the journey just after the New England Aquarium ratified the first white shark sighting of the season earlier this week off the coast of Nantucket It s going to test me not only physically but also mentally he stated while scoping out wind conditions by the starting line I mean every single day I m going to be speaking about sharks sharks sharks sharks Then ultimately I ve got to get in the water afterwards and do the swim I suppose you can imagine what I ll be thinking about A world without predators Pugh mentioned the swim will be among the preponderance hard he s undertaken which says a lot for someone who has swum near glaciers and volcanoes and among hippos crocodiles and polar bears No one has ever swum around the island of Martha s Vineyard before Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh gestures to where he will begin his swim around Martha s Vineyard island which is expected to take days near the Edgartown Lighthouse Monday May in Edgartown Mass AP Photo Charles Krupa But Pugh who often swims to raise awareness for environmental causes and has been named the United Nations Patron of the Oceans for several years mentioned no swim is without jeopardy and that drastic measures are needed to get his message across Around sharks are killed globally each day a rate of million every year according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science It was a film about sharks attacking humans and for years we have been attacking sharks he stated of Jaws It s utterly unsustainable It s madness We need to respect them He emphasizes that the swim is not something nonprofessionals should attempt He s accompanied by safety personnel in a boat and kayak and uses a Shark Shield device that deters sharks using an electric field without harming them Pugh remembers feeling fear as a -year-old watching Jaws for the first time Over decades of review and research awe and respect have replaced his fear as he realized the role they play in maintaining Earth s increasingly fragile ecosystems I m more terrified of a world without sharks or without predators he declared The Jaws effect on sharks Jaws is credited for creating Hollywood s blockbuster tradition when it was disclosed in summer becoming the highest grossing film up until that time and earning three Academy Awards It would impact how plenty of viewed the ocean for decades to come A shopper walks past items featuring the Jaws movie at Neptune s Sea Chest gift shop Monday May in Vineyard Haven Mass on Martha s Vineyard Island AP Photo Charles Krupa Both director Steven Spielberg and author Peter Benchley have expressed regret over the impact of the film on viewers perception of sharks Both have since contributed to conservation efforts for animals which have seen populations depleted due to factors like overfishing and surroundings change Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel each year release services about sharks to educate the citizens about the predator Greg Skomal marine fisheries biologist at Martha s Vineyard Fisheries within the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries explained countless people tell him they still won t swim in the ocean because of the sheer terror caused by the film I tend to hear the expression that I haven t gone in the water since Jaws came out he stated But Skomal who published a book challenging the film s inaccuracies revealed Jaws also inspired countless people including him to scrutiny marine biology leading to increased research acceptance and respect for the creatures If Jaws were made in the modern day he doesn t think it d have the same effect But in the s it was just perfect in terms of generating this level of fear to a residents that was largely uneducated about sharks because we were uneducated Scientists didn t know a lot about sharks A man navigates the wake behind the Martha s Vineyard Ferry Monday May in Vineyard Haven Mass AP Photo Charles Krupa Skomal reported the biggest threat contributing to the decline of the shark population now is commercial fishing which exploded in the late s and is currently driven by high demand for fins and meat used in food dishes as well as the use of skin to make leather and oil and cartilage for cosmetics I think we ve really moved away from this feeling or the old adage that The only good shark is a dead shark he disclosed We re definitely morphing from fear to fascination or perhaps a combination of both See an AP photo gallery from around Martha s Vineyard and the start of Pugh s swim here