If I were a long distance swimmer (a serious stretch of the imagination), and I happened to see a large shark underneath me, I would panic. If there was a boat next to me and there was a large shark underneath me, I would, without thinking, rocket out of the water like a skinny, pale leaping dolphin, aiming for the boat and safety. My speedo would be around my ankles and I would blame the urine dribbling down my legs on a lazy bladder sphincter. But I would be safe. Embarrassed and covered in pee, but safe.
Adam Walker doesn’t have to blame an embarrassing wetting incident on his bladder sphincter. The Nottingham, UK man is part of Ocean’s Seven, a group of long distance swims that includes the Irish Channel, Cook Strait, Molokai Channel, English Channel, Catalina Channel, Tsugaru Strait and the Strait of Gibraltar. According to Yahoo News, during his swim across New Zealand’s Cook Strait, he looked down, reportedly saw a large great white, and continued swimming. Just before he yellowed New Zealand’s waters, a pod of dolphins surrounded him. According to Walker, they were protecting him. He’s doing it for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity. Can you say karma?
The dolphins swam with Walker for more than hour, getting close enough for him to touch and likely telling each other that they couldn’t believe this crazy human stayed in the water long enough for them to come to his rescue. “I’d like to think they were protecting me and guiding me home!” he posted on Facebook. “This swim will stay with me forever.”
