- Mr Walkers saw a beast-like figure swimming beneath him during an eight hour swim across the Cook Strait
- He was soon joined by 10 dolphins who swam alongside him for an hour
- This was his sixth long-ocean swim as part of the Ocean Sevens challenge
- Dolphins also saved four people from a great white in New Zealand in 2004
Published:
06:34 GMT, 24 April 2014
|
Updated:
00:37 GMT, 27 April 2014
British
swimmer, Adam Walker had enough to worry about as he took on the
freezing ocean in a grueling eight hour and 36 minute swim across the
Cook Strait on Tuesday.
But
he had his mind taken off the extreme temperature when he noticed a two
metre shark-shaped figure swimming beneath him in the New Zealand
waters.
Luckily
enough, the shark never attempted an attack as a pod of dolphins soon
came to his side, swimming alongside Mr Walker for an hour while he
crossed the strait.
Scroll down for video
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Adam Walker was joined by dolphins on his swim across the Cook Strait in New Zealand
It was a
magical sight for those watching, as Mr Walker's long strokes were
matched by the jumping figures of approximately 10 dolphins, who came so
close to the swimmer that he brushed a tail as he swam.
Whether
they simply wanted to join in the fun or were actually actively
participating in protecting Mr Walker from a possible shark attack is
unclear, but the swimmer is grateful non-the-less.
'It would be a nice thought they were thinking, we will just help our pal get through,' Mr Walker told a New Zealand website.
Mr
Walker was partaking in his sixth swim as part of the Ocean's Seven
challenge in which participants attempt to swim what are considered the
seven hardest
The
athlete later added the following comment to his Facebook page after
completing the swim: 'Yesterday I swam the 6th of the 'oceans seven'
swims 'Cook Strait' in 8 hours 36 mins. But that doesn't tell the whole
story rolling waves, big currents but more important than that a dream
come true swimming with dolphins over an hour!!
'I'd like to think they were protecting me and guiding me home!!! This swim will stay with me forever,' he wrote.
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Mr Walker prepping for his sixth swim as part of the Ocean Sevens challenge in Oriental Bay, Wellington
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The British swimmer said he saw a two-metre beast swimming beneath him before the pod of 10 dolphins joined him
Despite
being told not to worry about sharks by legendary New Zealand swimmer
Philip Rush, who mentored Mr Walker before his swim and having crossed
the strait eight times himself, Mr Walker confirmed he 'had a go at him'
once he'd finished his swim.
But
it's not the first time that dolphins, who often attack sharks in order
to protect themselves and their young, have beenreported to 'save'
humans from an impending shark attack.
In
2004, a group of four swimmers were protected from a three metre great
white shark by a pod of dolphins which encircled the group just off of a
New Zealand beach.
Rob
Howes, a British-born lifeguard, who was saved by the dolphins after
having gone for a swim with his daughter, Niccy and her two friends,
told the New Zealand Press Association that the dolphins upheld their
position for a full 40 minutes.
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Getting very close: Mr Walker said the dolphin's
came close enough to brush his feet with their tails while he swam the
Cook Strait
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Mr Walker faced freezing water, roilling waves
and big currents on the sixteen nautical mile stretch, starting off from
Wellington and finishing at Perano Head
'They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us,' Mr Howes said.
'It
[the shark] was only about two metres away from me, the water was
crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face,' he said
before adding about the dolphins: 'They had corralled us up to protect
us.'
However
Mr Walker faced more difficulties than just sharks during the sixteen
nautical mile stretch along the Cook Strait, which he started from
Wellington and finished off at Perano Head.
The
swimmer was overcome with motion sickness in the choppy waters of which
he said: 'It was like swimming in a washing machine.'
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Mr Waters is ecstatic after his 6 hour swim in
Malta: The Ocean Sevens challenge involves participants swimming the
Irish Channel, the Cook Strait, the Molokai Channel, the English
Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of
Gibraltar
Unable
to vomit while swimming, he was forced to throw-up while treading water
before having to swim against the hard currents to avoid the Brothers
islands and get to his finishing point.
According
to the Ocean Sevens website, only one person has ever completed the
entire Ocean Seven challenge which includes the participant swimming the
Irish Channel, the Cook Strait, the Molokai Channel, the English
Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of
Gibraltar.
Mr
Walker hopes to be the first British man to complete the challenge and
after successfully swimming the Cook Strait, he is preparing for the
most challenging and final swim - the Irish Channel: a stretch of water
between Ireland and Scotland, infamous for it's freezing temperature and
difficult nature.
His
experience in the Cook Strait was not the first bad experience with
native wildlife Mr Walker has had, after being stung by a Portuguese man
o' war jellyfish in Hawaii.
'I lost feeling in my spine for about five minutes, and then I just had to push through it,' he said of the ordeal.
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