Lewis’ passion for exploration was established as a young child, living in various homes over the world due to his fathers posting in the Royal Navy. Surprisingly, Lewis did not learn to swim until he was 17 years old, and from then on his passion for both endurance swimming and the very oceans themselves bloomed. After mastering the art of swimming, Lewis challenged himself to his first swim undertaking a long-distance swim travelling from Robben Island to Cape Town. This first long-distance swim gave Lewis a taste for the waters, and he often credits this swim as the one that means the most to him.
Over the next 15 years, Lewis made it his mission to break records in the world of endurance swimming. In 2006 he completed a long-distance swim in the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first person to have completed a long-distance swim in every ocean. He also became the first person to swim the length of the River Thames in 2006, and the last as swimming was banned in 2012. Fuelled with the drive to complete more daring athletic feats, Lewis journeyed to the North Pole and became the first person to swim across the North Pole in 2007. This display of endurance was not only for his own satisfaction, a keen advocate for environmental issues Lewis wanted to emphasise to the world that the magnificent landscape of Antarctica was rapidly melting. His endurance swimming began to capture the attention of many sporting officials, notably being awarded the Gold Class Order of Ikhamanga in 2009 an award that has only been given to four sportsmen previously.
With his passion and drive for positive change in relation to environmental and sustainability issues, Lewis was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. Each daring feat that he attempted was driven by the motivator of creating awareness for various different environmental changes and problems around the globe, a topic he frequently covers in his public speaking addresses. His next daring swim was undertaken in 2010, attempting to take the highest swim in the world on Mount Everest where he almost drowned. Continually showing his dedication to the sustainability of international oceans, Lewis has been appointed as UN Patron for the Ocean.
Lewis has been a pioneer in some of the greatest environmental awareness campaigns. In 2015 he swam the Ross Sea in Antarctica and later was able to persuade Russia to sign an agreement to protect the largest area of ocean in the world. He was also pivotal in persuading many of the South Jersey Shark Tournaments to be stopped, saving numerous endangered shark species from being slaughtered. In 2018 he became the first person to swim the length of the British Channel, and after he was able to persuade the UK to champion the protection of 30% of the world's oceans by the year of 2030. His most recent endurance swim was taken in Antarctica, becoming the first person to swim under the East Antarctica ice sheet as an attempt to raise awareness again of how rapidly the ice is melting there.
In recognition of his perilous endurance swimming, Lewis has won many awards. In 2013 he was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame which is one of the highest honours in the world of endurance swimming. Later in 2015, he was recognised by National Geographic, being awarded their Adventurer of the Year Award 2015. He was also awarded a Doctorate of Science from Plymouth University in 2015. In 2019 he was awarded the Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, received for “an outstanding contribution to geographical knowledge in a potentially hazardous environment”.
As an astounding motivational public speaker Lewis displays incredible captivating energy. A prominent TED talker, Lewis’ talks have been viewed over 5 million times. He has previously spoken for the BBC, HBO, National Geographic and many more high-profile clients. Exploring vivid tales of his time swimming across the world, Lewis covers topics such as obtaining peak performance, drive, determination, endurance, mental resilience and pushing your body and mind to the extreme. A truly eloquent speaker, Lewis’ motivational speeches cannot be missed.
