NathanThere are a lot of things that go through a swimmer’s mind when they are swimming in the ocean waters. It is common to have fears of deadly creatures that roam the oceans, but these swimmers mostly block out all of these negative thoughts. This guy was swimming in Cook Strait in New Zealand, with no clue about what was about to happen to him. Several dolphins started to circulate around him. “Why?” you ask? Read on and find out the chilling reason why this incident happened.
A Sportsman From the Get-Go
Adam Walker grew up in Nottingham, U.K., and has always been into sports. His father Peter had always been very supportive of him and his brother who grew up playing cricket and rugby. He underwent a knee injury which kept him from playing sports. He then switched to swimming and it helped him stay fit and kept his health in check. He went on to compete in the sport of swimming and was actually very good at it. Never did he guess that swimming would bring him a lot of memorable moments in his life. Above all, this incident would definitely top his list of the most unforgettable experiences he had ever had.
When Duty Calls
After leaving his university, Adam Walker knew that he would have to start making serious career choices, so he ultimately switched to working in sales. Since he was intuitive, charming and smart, he could move up on the ladder of his career and very quickly became a national salesman. Walker soon made a name for himself, reaching his targets quickly. Who can blame him though? He was a sportsman first, so the competitive nature was already bred deep within him. But at the back of his mind, there was always something bugging him and he had to get to the bottom of this.
Eureka!
So, when he least expected, an epiphany for Adam Walker occurred during the time he boarded a plane to go to Australia for a family trip back in 2006. He was watching a movie called On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, on the plane. This movie is about a guy who made a decision to swim across the English Channel after he was fired from his work. Walker then felt the sudden urge to change the way he was living his life. At that moment, he decided to swim the English Channel as well. So he soon started training himself to do this, and he set the dates as well.
Pushing Himself to the Max
Walker followed a strict routine of just working, eating, sleeping, and repeating these. However, his whole lofe switched when he decided to swim the English Channel, which is one difficult task to achieve. He was going to have to put his mind and body to its best state in order to make this possible. His limits were going to be pushed and so Walker had to thoroughly prepare himself. He had to train himself to be able to handle the cold water, the strong currents and the chance of meeting deadly sea creatures. He has to take all these into consideration before embarking on this journey.
Oceans Seven
On July 14th, 2008, Walker managed to swim across the English Channel and described it like it “was chopping like a washing machine.” He soon set another goal to achieve. His next goal was to swim the Strait of Gibraltar which had warmer water and a shorter distance. On July 5th, 2011, he was able to swim both ways across the Strait, becoming the first British ever to achieve this crossing. During this time, the long-distance swim marathon called the Oceans Seven occurred, where English Channel and Strait of Gibraltar made the list. He had conquered two from the list so he was set on doing the rest. But his fate in Cook Strait would be something he would never forget.
The Cook Strait
As of April 22, 2014, Adam Walker made a choice to swim the Cook Strait, which had been hailed as one of the deadliest waves. Located in between North and South Islands of New Zealand, it joins the Tasman Sea to the South Pacific Ocean. Walker felt a little anxious but he maintained his cool by listening to motivational speeches on his mp3 player. Philip Rush his trainer was also very nervous but the same time excited to see Walker attempt this feat. Walker felt a little sick but jumper into the water regardless. He was not prepared for what was about to happen next.