Are they doing the hoggy paddle? Swimming pigs of the Bahamas become YouTube stars and are even set to star in a documentary

Swimming swine of the Caribbean popular with visitors, who upload videos of themselves taking a dip with the pigs
The animals are believed to have been abandoned in the idyllic spot by sailors, who intended to eat them
Now a documentary is being made about the pigs, who often swim out to boats to get food from holidaymakers

Published: 11:19 GMT, 29 June 2014 | Updated: 17:28 GMT, 29 June 2014

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They say pigs can’t fly, well, these pictures show they sure can swim.

This family of boars and piglets have set up home in the Bahamas and are rapidly becoming a YouTube sensation thanks to visitors filming themselves taking a dip with the animals.

The swine like nothing more than a trot along the beach then a swim in the tropical surf. The domesticated animals which have turned feral are fast becoming a tourist attraction as they give visitors an extremely warm welcome when they arrive by boat.

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Bay of Pigs: These swimming pigs have become a Youtube hit across the world. Visitors film themselves swimming with the animals, who live on a small Caribbean island

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Swimming swine: The pigs are thought to have been introduced to the island by passing sailors who may have thought they would make a good food source

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Silver screen: A filmmaker is now making a documentary about the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay and the surrounding islands

Now filmmaker Charles Allan Smith is now shooting a documentary that hopes to uncover how the animals first took to the water. 'When Pigs Swim' will follow the trail from the original swimming pigs.

Pig Island, or Big Major Cay as it is officially known, is blessed with a natural water spring and is sheltered by a string of neighbouring islands that protects it from waves caused by tropical storms.

The pigs are thought to have been introduced to the island by passing sailors who may have thought they would make a good food source.

The project will feature breathtaking shots of the idyllic crystal clear waters of the region, interviews with experts on the pig's history and, of course, the pigs themselves.

The pigs will run into the water and actually swim out to the oncoming boats to get food from the occupants

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The pigs will run into the water and actually swim out to the oncoming boats to get food from the occupants

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Online sensation: There are dozens of videos of the swimming pigs taken by tourists besotted with their unusual antics

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Ready for your close up? A cameraman crouches on the edge of the water to capture the swimming pigs in action

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Narrative: A man is filmed talking about the pigs for the documentary 'When Pigs Swim'

‘Because locals bring food, the pigs will run into the water and actually swim out to the oncoming boats, as if to greet them individually,’ said underwater photographer Eric Cheng, who has captured the animals on film.

‘It is strange enough to see pigs laying around on tropical beaches of white sand but to see them then charge into the water to greet oncoming boats is
just bizarre.’

Mr Cheng stumbled across the unusual residents during a diving expedition to photograph white-tip sharks. Instead, he and his team spent hours photographing and playing with the pigs.

‘You never know what you’ll see when you’re out tracking down wildlife,’ he said.