Lewis set out from Greenwich on 12 July 1994, aiming to circumnavigate the globe solely on human power. Over the next thirteen years he cycled, skated, rowed, and paddled 74,842 km—crossing five continents, three oceans, and the Antarctic ice shelf—before the brush‑with danger in 2005.
On 13 May 2005, Lewis paddled 22 mi toward the Cape York Peninsula shore when he spotted a 15‑ft estuarine crocodile gliding behind his kayak. The animal snatched his paddle, forcing Lewis to strike the blade into the reptile’s throat as it retreated into deeper water.
Lewis called John Andrews in Cairns through his satellite phone, and Andrews warned him to leave the beach and seek higher ground, citing the risk of a second attack. Lewis hauled his gear up a steep ridge, slept in windswept grass, and watched the creature’s eyes glow in the dark.
After the encounter, Lewis resumed the journey, eventually touching down in New Zealand on 6 October 2007. Guinness World Records credited him as the first person to complete a full circumnavigation without motors or sails, covering 46,505 miles—more than Earth’s circumference.
Local Australian villagers, who had seen Lewis’s trek, recall: 'He was a lone traveler, but he kept a log and respected the land,' said Tamsin, a resident of Cooktown.