- Dexter the Hedgehog swam ‘like a fish’ in Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada
- Owner, Stephanie Gerada, from Welland brought him to the beach
- Dexter, aged 1, swims at home in the bath but this was his first time in open water
An adorable hedgehog amazed onlookers as he swam confidently in the sea for the very first time.
Dexter the Hedgehog and his owner, Stephanie Gerada, from Welland, Ontario, took a trip to Crystal Beach for the day with group of friends and were left stunned when little Dexter took to swimming like a fish to water.
Stephanie, 18, said: ‘When I took him out of my beach bag everyone immediately wanted to see him swim.
‘My friends and I were amazed at this tiny creature swimming in a huge body of water.
‘I was so proud of my little hedgie and I was so happy to see the smiles he brought to my friend’s faces.
‘We played in the water with him for 5 minutes, after that we chilled in the sand and he lounged with us, making hedgehog trails through the beach.’
Stephanie and Dexter, who has just turned one, have been together for nine months but this is not the first time he has swam a few lengths.
She said: ‘The first time he swam was in a bath tub, that was when I realised how cute he looked and how good of a swimmer he was.
‘My friends invited me to stay at their private cottage this summer at Crystal Beach in Ontario.
‘I love to bring Dexter to any new places to explore so I asked if I could bring him, of course, they said yes.’
Little Dexter is one-year-old and lives with owner Stephanie Gerada in Welland, Ontario
Swim like a fish: The hedgehog proved to be a remarkably adept swimmer and swam unaided in the sea while his owner Stephanie and her friends watched on nearby
The little hedgehog looked so adorable in the water that Stephanie filmed Dexter’s adventure
After his swim, Dexter chilled on the sand and wandered around the beach (left). He was also pictured perched aboard a yellow and red inflatable boat