William Trubridge is swimming the Cook Strait. Photo / Instagram
Nine hours, 22 kilometres and 930 dives later, Kiwi freediver William Trubridge has successfully swum the Cook Strait.
The freedive world champion left Wellington on Friday morning to swim to the South Island underwater using a special fin to raise awareness of critically endangered Hector's and Māui dolphins.
Speaking with
Radio New Zealand, Trubridge said he was thankful to have completed it after battling challenging currents.
"I really didn't know what to expect because I've never even swum in that stretch of water before, let alone done anything like this, so I was going a bit blind," he said.
"The whole time I was swimming, I was getting pushed different directions, north and south and then north again, but in the last stretch I was getting pushed sideways and almost missed the headland, and if I'd missed that one there was another current from the other side of the headland that could have pushed me straight out to sea, so I was lucky on so many levels."
