#VIDEO: Orca encounter while surfing at Te Arai #nature #aloha #NewZealand #viral #surf #environment

Wackedcat:

“A few days ago Myself and a small group of surfers were privileged to share an encounter with a pod of New Zealand’s small population of Orca “Killer Whale” it is estimated that there may only be 115 Orca in New Zealand waters. The Orca in New Zealand seem to specialize in hunting for stingray in the shallows which is what they were doing here, and they were successful much to the horror of the unsuspecting stingray. This story has a some what unknown ending however, as later that evening the Juvenile Orca of the pod beached about 3km’s south of Te Arai. Fortunately it was discovered by Mike the local ranger on the beach, and Many of the local surfers, Surf lifesavers, and caring members of the community went to its aid. I was privileged to be part of this group. The Orca was safely returned to the ocean approx 6 hours after it was stranded, by Department of Conservation staff. Project Jonah Volunteers and the large group of caring community members who had gone to its aid ASAP. We are yet to have confirmation that it has been successfully reunited with its pod, however we have also had no negative reports of it re-stranding. Filmed at Te Arai Beach New Zealand “We don’t need a golf course for the privileged few here” Filmed using a Gopro HD Hero2 and a homemade bobber. Oh and “Yes” to those people who questioned my decision to film this there was a moment when i wondered if i would make the Darwin Awards hall of fame when i chose to film this. Yet Orca despite being more than capable of the unimaginable are the largest member of the Dolphin family and in New Zealand prefer a high risk meal in the form of Stingray to a defenseless surfer. Please share this with your friends and help make this world a better place where we respect the ocean and its diversity, and realize without an ocean which we all came from there is no life on EARTH. Aloha”