Holidaymaker tried to swim from France to the US
A holidaymaker, overcome with Olympic spirit, has reportedly been rescued after attempting to swim across the Atlantic.
The British man was on holiday in Biarritz, France, when he decided to carry the Olympic spirit across the ocean to the United States.
Lifeguards watched the Londoner swim until he was out of sight and called the helicopter for help. A diver was lowered into the sea and told the man it was a bad idea to swim the 3,594 miles across the ocean.
The 34-year-old tourist responded saying he was a strong swimmer and was feeling up to the challenge.
“He was a bit naïve,” Laurent Saintespes, senior officer at Barritz airbase, told Agence France Press. “But at a time when the Olympics are taking place in London you have to see the funny side of things.”
A rescue dinghy arrived, threw him a line and towed him back to the beach, the Daily Mail reports.
It’s believed the swimmer’s friends thought he was joking. They let him go, saying that a boat would rescue him if he got into trouble.