On April 22nd, Adam Walker was raising money and awareness for the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation by making a 25.7 km (16 mile) swim across the Cook Strait in New Zealand. Yahoo! News reports that Walker spotted a large great white shark swimming beneath him, but a small pod of 10 dolphins quickly came to his side, seemingly to offer protection. Walker swam alongside the dolphins for over an hour until the water was clear. He described the experience as "a dream come true."
The swim was the sixth out of seven planned long-distance swims in rough open water for the grueling Ocean’s 7 challenge, and he completed the task in 8 hours, 36 minutes. This swim was preceded by events in the English Channel, Catalina Channel, Molokai Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, and the Tsugaru Channel. His final event is planned for this August in the North Channel. Once finished, he will be the second person to ever complete the Ocean’s 7 challenge.
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