Professional swimmer Adam Walker from Nottingham almost died in 2014. His training almost ended tragically, the 16 miles he had set as his goal were suddenly spoiled by a predator. This shark encounter occurred off the coast of New Zealand, when his friend gave him “green light” that Adam could safely swim in the Cook Strait that day. But the sea is unpredictable. We never know what can happen, and we must always be prepared for unforeseen circumstances.
One such unforeseen situation almost ended tragically for this swimmer. Adam Walker was saved from certain death that day by several dolphins who were in the right place at the right time!
In a video posted on YouTube, Walker can be seen in the middle of his 16-mile challenge, accompanied by an escort boat.
The dolphins simply surrounded him like a protective shield. This protective shield followed him for some time.
Walker wrote on his Facebook profile after the experience, “The dolphins did their best to protect me. They protected me and brought me home. I will remember this swim forever.”
At that moment, Walker was truly unaware of why the “shield” made by the dolphins was even with him. He didn’t even think about the fact that the shark was near him and posed a serious threat to him.
Dolphins congregate in large groups because that is the only way to protect them from shark attacks. When a shark sees a large group of dolphins, it simply gives up and moves on. As an individual, any dolphin is at risk and an easy target for a shark. When a group of dolphins needs to attack a shark, they do so by stabbing it in the stomach or gills with their beaks.
According to Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), “The main advantage dolphins have against shark attacks is crowd safety; they stick together in groups and defend each other against shark attacks by chasing and stinging them.
“Dolphins are able to protect vulnerable members of their groups and extended families, such as young dolphins and injured or sick dolphins.”
Fortunately, Walker reached shore safely after nearly 9 hours of strenuous swimming. This challenge was not only swimmingly difficult and exhausting, but also very dangerous because of the predatory sharks that come uninvited.