HOW do you fancy swimming in the North Atlantic at 2.45 in the morning... and suddenly finding a whale appearing underneath you?

Scary stuff, but it all turned out well for former Greenock firefighter John Dyer, who was taking part in a 60-mile charity relay from St Kilda to the Island of Harris.

Fortunately for John, the whale was of the Minke variety, which consume only fish, rather than an Orca, which also frequent those waters and have been known to attack humans in captivity.

The bold John is still on cloud nine after the exhilarating experience. As the Tele reported, the Minke looked right at him and was close by for a few minutes.

It was quite a way to get close to nature.

John and his six colleagues have entered the record books by completing what is frequently a choppy crossing even in a boat.

The weather is so unpredictable that they only managed to do it at the fifth attempt, and deserve full marks for determination and raising so much money for charity.

John is no stranger to endurance challenges: he has run the former 35-mile ‘Two Bridges’ ultramarathon, which included the Kincardine and Forth bridges, and also took part in a fire brigade 12-hour running relay around New York’s Shea Stadium in 1990.

His ‘mesmerising’ feat in the North Atlantic has topped the lot, however, and will probably inspire others to take the plunge among the whales!