When a British swimmer realized he was being chased by a massive great white shark, he received the shock of his life.
Back in 2014, Adam Walker of Nottingham was swimming off the coast of New Zealand when a predator was seen lurking in the waters below.
He was advised that sharks were not there and that he may swim in the Cook Strait without worry.
Fortunately for Adam, a pod of dolphins appeared to save the day, shielding him from harm.
Adam can be seen in the midst of his 16-mile journey as a support boat goes behind him in footage posted on YouTube.
Then, out of nowhere, a swarm of dolphins appears, swimming in circles around him.
A pair is even seen jumping into the air right next to him.
Adam wrote about it in a Facebook post at the time, saying it was an incredible experience and that the animals kept him safe during his swim.
“Swimming with dolphins on my 6th of Oceans 7 swims ‘Cook Strait’ open water swimming doesn’t get any better than this!! Dream come true!” he wrote.
“I’d like to think they were protecting me and guiding me home. This swim will stay with me forever.”
However, Adam admitted that he had no idea there was a shark around until he got out.
He’d been informed by a buddy that sharks wouldn’t be a problem before getting in the water, so he was surprised to learn the truth.
Adam told the Marlborough Express that he “had a go at him when I came out.”
Dolphins are frequently attacked by sharks and must rely on one another for safety.
If sharks come in to attack, the creatures use their big snouts to poke them, thumping their underbelly or gills.
“The main advantage dolphins have against shark attacks is safety in numbers; they stick together in pods and defend one another from a shark’s attack by chasing and ramming it.”
“Dolphins are able to protect vulnerable members of their pods and extended families such as young dolphins and injured or sick dolphins.”
Adam finished his swim in 8 hours, 36 minutes.
It was the sixth in a series of arduous swimming challenges he set for himself in an attempt to generate money and publicity for the WDC.