MARTHA’S VINEYARD, Mass. (AP) — An athlete will aim to be the first person to swim around Martha’s Vineyard to educate the public on sharks.
Lewis Pugh will attempt the swim in 47-degree (8-degree Celsius) water during the start of white shark migration season.
The swim is planned to correspond with the 50th anniversary of “Jaws.” The 55-year-old swimmer is specifically taking on the challenge because he wants to change public perception of the vulnerable animals. He says they were maligned by the 1975 blockbuster film as “cold-blooded killers.” He’ll urge for more protections for the animals while he completes the 62-mile (100-kilometer) swim in about 12 days.
He begins the journey just after the New England Aquarium confirmed the first white shark sighting of the season, earlier this week off the coast of Nantucket.
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Read more about Pugh’s historic swim and watch a livestream of him entering the water here. ___
A fishing boat is docked for the evening in Menemsha Harbor, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Chilmark, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Visitors walk by the Edgartown Town Hall, one of the filming locations for the movie “Jaws,” Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Store clerk Maby Isabelle Carter, shows items featuring the Jaws movie at Neptune’s Sea Chest gift shop, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Vineyard Haven, Mass., on Martha’s Vineyard Island. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Socks featuring the Jaws movie are displayed at Neptune’s Sea Chest gift shop, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Vineyard Haven, Mass., on Martha’s Vineyard Island. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Visitors ride bikes on the street used for a Fourth of July parade in the movie “Jaws,” Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Audrey Constant, of Marshfield, Mass., is wrapped in a towel featuring the “Jaws” movie, while walking on a beach that was used as a filming location for the film five decades ago, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha’s Vineyard Island. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Sharks decorate the Menemsha Fish Market, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Chilmark, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A fisherman casts for mackerel near one of the locations used fifty years ago for the film “Jaws,” Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Mark Alton spends some downtime with his employer’s dogs, Bentley and Morgan, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. Fifty years ago Alton’s brother played the role of the ambulance driver while his sister appeared in a beach scene in the movie “Jaws”. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A sunset attracts visitors to Menemsha Beach, near a fishing harbor seen in the movie “Jaws,” Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Chilmark, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Fish tails hang on a fisherman’s shack in Menemsha Harbor, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Chilmark, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh looks out at Edgartown Harbor, the ending point for his swim around Martha’s Vineyard island, which is expected to take 12 days, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Passengers disembark from the Martha’s Vineyard ferry, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Vineyard Haven, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh walks towards the Edgartown lighthouse, which will be the starting point for his 12-day swim around Martha’s Vineyard island, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A woman views the sunset at Menemsha Beach, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Chilmark, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A man navigates the wake behind the Martha’s Vineyard Ferry, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Vineyard Haven, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A visitor arrives at a shop selling Jaws-related souvenirs, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A family walks to the span of the American Legion Memorial Bridge, also known as the “Jaws Bridge”, while spending the day fishing, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha’s Vineyard Island. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
