Macho much? New Zealand PM's partner "fights off" a harmless whale shark with a pole while "dolphins watch"!
The movie ‘Flipper’ may have taught millions of children that dolphins are man’s friends and would willingly jump in to save us but that myth has been soundly busted by none other than Clarke Gayford, the partner of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Gayford is a popular New Zealand radio presenter and television host.
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Gayford is the host of the fishing documentary show ‘Fish of the Day’. He has been jokingly called New Zealand’s “first fisherman” and “first bloke” because of his relationship with the Prime Minister who is currently pregnant with the couple’s first child. He has also worked on a number of radio shows and youth programs.
On May 16, Gayford tweeted a picture of himself fighting off a shark with a pole while diving off the coast of Auckland. A dolphin is seen swimming in the background of the shot. Instead of helping the 40-year-old, the dolphin seems completely unconcerned by the drama.
In fact, it almost seems as if the dolphin is actually watching the events unfold with all the curiosity of a moviegoer.
"So it turns out that not only do dolphins not help, they actually quite like watching," Gayford captioned the image. "A childhood myth is ruined."
Gayford was reportedly helping out a camera operator who was shooting footage for 'Young Ocean explorers' when the incident happened. The show provides entertaining educational content to help youngsters appreciate the wonders of the ocean.
Luckily, New Zealand’s “first bloke” has faced similar circumstances before. In March, Gayford tweeted about his experience with an “overly amorous” whale shark, Yahoo reports. He said that the shark accidentally rolled him and pinned him against the side of a boat. On the same day, Gayford claimed to have caught a 40 kg Yellowfin tuna.
When the thrilling incident took place, Gayford was reportedly “swimming safety” by keeping watch while the cameraman concentrated on getting the necessary footage of bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales off Great Barrier Island near Auckland. He was forced into action when the dolphins attracted an angry group of sharks.
"They were feeding on kingfish and had been tearing some large ones in half and putting blood in the water, which attracted several large bronze whaler sharks," Gayford said.
"I got in the water and they turned their attention on me, I had to fend the large one pictured off with a pole several times, as it was getting quite agitated. We got out not long after."
Gayford is reportedly all set to exchange his deep-sea adventures for life as a stay-at-home dad once Ardern gives birth to the couple’s child who is due on June 17th. Ardern is the world’s youngest female head of government having taken oath at the young age of 37. She leads the Labour Party and is reportedly planning a six-week maternity break before returning to the top post.