Two swimmers off the coast of New Zealand were joined by a family of orcas.
A swimmer was caught on camera in the ocean with a group of three orcas, which began to swim around her.
Despite the nickname “killer whale,” orcas that have not been captured have never been known to kill a human.
It’s something most of us can only ever dream of. You’re swimming in the ocean, minding your own business, when suddenly a family of sleek marine mammals materializes, joining you as you glide through the water.
That’s what happened to not one, but two swimmers off the coast of New Zealand in recent weeks, as they were joined in the water by families of cavorting orcas (Orcinus orca).
A video currently in the process of going viral was shot by photographer Dylan Brayshaw at Hahei Beach on December 4. He describes seeing a swimmer heading towards a group of three orcas, which began to swim around her.
She got out of the water to collect herself, and when she returned, Brayshaw started filming. The video is absolutely breathtaking — a small family of orcas, including two juveniles, weaving around the swimmer as she pulls herself through the ocean waters.
Orcas have a reputation for violence because of incidents at places like SeaWorld in which the animals have killed their trainers. However, orcas that have not been captured have never been known to kill a human.
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
It echoes a similar encounter by spearfisherman Rowan Virbickas on November 26. While collecting sea urchin, he encountered a different family of orcas — three adults and a baby — which also swam around him in playful circles.
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