A group of dolphins apparently came to the aid of a British long-distance swimmer just in the nick of time.

Adam Walker was on a 16-mile swim in the choppy waters of New Zealand's Cook Strait on April 22 when he spotted a great white shark beneath him, Yahoo! News reports. A pod of 10 dolphins quickly surrounded him and stayed by his side until the shark swam off.

Walker posted images of his guardian dolphins on Facebook a day after the rigorous swim. "I'd like to think they were protecting me and guiding me home!!!" he wrote of his brief time with the dolphins.

Walker, who was swimming to raise proceeds for the nonprofit Whale and Dolphin Conservation, embarked on the Cook Strait swim as part of the Ocean's Seven, a global challenge to complete seven long-distance swims. He crossed the Cook Strait in 8 hours and 36 minutes.