Wild Orcas Interact with New Zealand Swimmer

Photo taken by Janice Waite, National Marine Mammal Laboratory. Published at http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/gallery_admin/albums/cetaceans/killer/oo-43_orca.JPG. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Mammal Laboratory

By Amelia Thorpe

In this video a New Zealand woman, Judie Johnson, was doing a morning swim in the ocean when three orcas came up to her at Hahei Beach. Dylan Brayshaw was able to film the encounter from above with his drone. The orcas swam right alongside Judie as she swam along the shore, sometimes almost touching her. One adult, one juvenile and one calf circled her, swimming around and under Judie in the blue-green water, waves crashing on the beach to one side.

This video was very interesting and inspiring, because swimming with such big and powerful creatures in the wild is not something most people get to do. This video also shows how misjudged many animals can be, and how they are actually playful, and not as harmful as many people think. Being able to see a person, and wild orcas peacefully swimming side by side is a beautiful thing.

Judie says she at first she thought they were dolphins, but saw the white on their belly, and knew they were orcas. She was very scared because of the assumption that orcas are harmful, so she left the water. Soon after getting to shore, she actually decided it was a once in a lifetime experience, and that she should go back into the water. Because of the overall misunderstanding of orcas, Judie could have missed this life changing experience if she was not brave enough to reenter the water.