Swimmer Was on the Verge of Being Attacked by a Shark — Then a Pod of Dolphins Showed Up
Although shark attacks are not very common, they can be life-threatening when they happen. It usually occurs when sharks mistake humans for prey, often in the murky ocean waters. Learning about their behavior and not invading their space can lower the chances of such dangers, but if you're stuck in one such moment, it’s natural for anyone to be scared. One such scary moment took place a few years ago, when a British swimmer, Adam Walker, was almost attacked by a shark near the Cook Strait, New Zealand. However, he miraculously survived the terrifying encounter, thanks to an unlikely rescue team of dolphins nearby. Marine experts have always claimed that dolphins are known to display protective behavior, but such dramatic interventions are very rare.
In 2014, Walker ventured into the open sea, hoping to finally fulfill his dream of swimming alongside dolphins. He reportedly decided to jump in after one of his friends assured him that the waters in the area were safe from sharks, convincing him it would be a safe swim. Yet beneath the surface of the Cook Strait, a massive six-foot predator was waiting for Walker, who floated unaware above. He got the initial alert when he was struggling against rough waves, saying it felt like being tossed around in a washing machine, as reported by The US Sun. But just in time, a group of dolphins appeared and surrounded him.
The swimmer believes that the playful marine species allegedly sensed the nearby shark and chose to protect him during his swim. What was even more surprising was that the man wasn’t aware of the shark until he completed his swim and came out of the water. In his Facebook post, Walker described the unbelievable moment and wrote, "Dream come true swimming with dolphins over an hour…open-water swimming doesn’t get any better than this! I’d like to think they were protecting me and guiding me home. This swim will stay with me forever."
The YouTube video attached shows Adam taking on his 16-mile swim, with a support boat moving by his side. Walker finished the swim in 8 hours and 36 minutes, marking one of the several tough challenges he had taken back then to support the Whale and Dolphin Conservation through fundraising and awareness. Revealing how dolphins save themselves from shark attacks, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation organization said, "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.”
They added, "Dolphins can protect vulnerable members of their pods and extended families such as young dolphins and injured or sick dolphins." Meanwhile, sharks are far less dangerous to bigger dolphins, as they fight back boldly by using their strong snouts to ram sharks, aiming at soft spots like their belly area. But sharks still sometimes hunt dolphins, focusing mainly on calves and sick adults that aren't very capable of defending themselves well. However, in places like Sarasota, Florida, almost one-third of local dolphins carry shark bite scars.
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