A Kayaker Just Had a Very Close Encounter with Wild Orcas — He Swam With Them

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Tim Stewart, 57, told the New Zealand Herald that he was comfortable having been in the water and had similar encounters with dolphins.

Said Stewart:

“I wasn’t [scared] at the start. But when that other one – he was at my feet – and I went down under the water and I turned around and faced him, he had his mouth open! I turned back around to hop up to see where the kayak was going – towards the rocks. As I kept looking behind me, all I could see were his teeth on the end of my feet. I thought: ‘He just wants to play, but I hope he doesn’t drag me down for a play.’”

Stewart said he didn’t stumble upon the whales by chance – he had heard there was a pod nearby. The drone video was shot by photographer Sam Kynman-Colewho had also heard the orcas were in the area and had gone out to film them.

Under NZ Marine Mammal Regulations, the penalty for swimming within 100m of a whale is $10,000.

Check out the spectacular footage:

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