When endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh realized that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Jaws, he knew it was the right time to do something no one had done before.

In a span of 12 days, Mr. Pugh swam 58 miles around Martha’s Vineyard to change the public perception about sharks. While he has taken part in many races to raise awareness for various causes, this is the first time he has done it for the sole purpose of bringing attention to a specific species.

He is the first person to complete a swim around the Vineyard. 

“Having swum in the oceans for nearly 40 years, I’ve seen the oceans change dramatically,” he said at the Menemsha Harbor on Friday before heading out into the water. “Sharks have been around since before the dinosaur, and in our generation we are pushing them to the brink. We are the only generation that can save them. An ocean without sharks is not a healthy ocean.”

Mr. Pugh has completed long distance swims around the world, including across the North Pole in 2007, in a glacial lake on Mount Everest in 2010, and the entire length of the English Channel in 2018. He was appointed patron of the oceans by the United Nations in 2013.

Heading back out to the water. — Ray Ewing

Despite his extensive experience in many different waters, the weather conditions on the Vineyard were a challenge.

“We’ve had consecutively bad weather days,” he said. “It’s the wind, and the wind then creates the waves, and then the waves just make swimming exponentially more difficult. You’ve got to get in the water with commitment.”

Mr. Pugh grew up in Plymouth, England, and discovered a love for exploring at a young age. He started swimming after moving to South Africa when he was 10 years old. He completed his first long-distance swim at age 17, from Robben Island to Cape Town.

“It lit something deep down inside me,” he said. “I remember landing on the beach and putting my feet down on the sand and then I was planning my next swim.”

His passion for the environment flourished while studying law at the University of Cape Town, during lectures about people’s right to a healthy environment.

“I got to a stage where I was noticing the big changes taking place in the oceans and you’ve got a choice,” he said. “What are you going to do? Are you going to stand by and watch what’s happening to the ocean or are you’re going to speak up?”

Mr. Pugh’s lifelong love for swimming and the ocean increases after every swim.

“I want the ocean to be accessible to everybody,” he said. “It’s so good for your mental health [and] physical health. I think when you’re connected with nature, it gives life purpose.”

Mr. Pugh started his swim at the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, and on Memorial Day he finished the journey right where he started.

“Every single day 274,000 sharks are killed globally,” he said. “This threatens the very fabric of society. It’s not just a threat to the wildlife, but it threatens the health of the oceans, it threatens our economy in a place like Martha’s Vineyard, threatens tourism and threatens a fishing industry. I’ve been waiting for this moment to do this.”