A team of charity swimmers have completed a 30-hour relay between Ullapool and Stornoway.
Captained by Saul Hindson, the group of eight are raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by swimming the stretch of water, known as The Minch.
Setting off at 12pm on Monday, the swimmers each completed stints of between 30 minutes and an hour in the water, swimming through the night to reach Stornoway by 10pm on Tuesday.
Waved on by supporters on the mainland throughout the journey, the Big Minch Swim team were eventually greeted by the Scots Guard Pipers at their destination.
Along their way, the fundraisers were greeted by a variety of wildlife, including Laura Maynard, who came face-to-face with a killer whale.
Captain Mr Hindson also got a shock when he encountered a form of giant whale during his night time swim.
He said: “I’d been swimming for 12 hours and I was starting to feel pretty tired but, believe me, I was quick off the mark in getting back in the kayak.
“I’ve seen a lot of things in my time but my heart nearly stopped when I saw this huge thing in front of me.”
The swim has already raised more than £8000 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and coincides with the 125th anniversary of the Stornoway lifeboat.
Their fundraising page is at http://www.justgiving.com/thebigminchswim.
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