Even though I knew the outcome, I couldnt stomach the video. I rarely swim in the ocean up in here Mass, and I think this is the reason why. Those sea creatures are magnificent killing machines. How anyone wasnt filling their wetsuit is beyond me. Instead, she swam to shore and then swam back out for seconds.
Anyone else have experiences like this? I shudder at the thought of how much I would look like a flailing seal trying to get to shore if this happened to me.
I saw that come up yesterday, too. I felt the same way—Couldn’t watch. I think someone forgot that they used to be commonly called Killer Whales…before enforcing the kinder, gentler name: Orca.
I had to look it up. Per wikipedia, knower of all things, turns out killer whales are not considered much of a threat to humans. They probably thought she was just strange.
I had to look it up. Per wikipedia, knower of all things, turns out killer whales are not considered much of a threat to humans. They probably thought she was just strange.
Would you be willing to swim with them?
It’s commonly said there’s never been an orca attack on humans in the wild, altho I did see a reference to two encounters with no details.
That said, if it was me, I stay in the water. I’m a diver and and have dived with hundreds and hundreds of sharks, and have had a great white sighting while OW swimming in southern california. I would stay in the water.
There is a company in Northern Norway that conducts freediving trips with orcas. Bucket list item
Amazing footage! Not many people would have had that experience, but ALL will be able to tell about it as wild orcas have never attacked a person. It seems odd, a big toothy animal like that not attacking something much smaller like a human, but they’ve never attacked a human.
North American fish eating orcas only eat fish, pretty much only salmon, and pretty much only chinook salmon. North American mammal eating orcas eat seals, sea lions, porpoises but also gray whale and humpback whale calves at times. Very little is known about offshore orcas, some think they eat sharks, or also mammals. North American fish eating (often called ‘residents’) and mammal eating (often called ‘transients’) have often been seen in close proximity to each other, but never interacting. They can be distinguished based on the pattern of their saddle and different types of orcas can also be distinguished based on size and patterns of the white spot near the eye.
Some atlantic orcas seems to focus on herring, or change their diet depending on season and where they are. Some orcas around subantarctic islands have been found to eat birds (penguins), mammals and fish.
They are fascinating creatures, and likely capable of a wide range of emotional experience (that part of the brain associated with that is very well developed in orcas). Not everything is prey in the eye of a predator.
Having said all that, if I would swim there and see those animals pull up next to me, I would first have to tell myself what I wrote a few times before I could actually enjoy the experience.
I would be more worried if some people on jetskis would pull up next to me and start circling me…
Im a diver and have been surfing my entire life - I would have shat myself.
It did just seem curious (swimming up to get a good look and such) but notice how when she started to head toward shore, it cut her off. It did not quite want her going in yet.
I had to look it up. Per wikipedia, knower of all things, turns out killer whales are not considered much of a threat to humans. They probably thought she was just strange.
Would you be willing to swim with them?
I don’t know. I think it’d be fun to have full-sized fins, a mask, and a snorkel right there, yeah. I wouldn’t get out. Probably slowly make my way towards shallower water but now having read what I read, I don’t see a reason to panic or even shy away. Don’t most sea creatures operate on scent? Wondering if the “mistake a person in a wetsuit for another fish” has to be a myth.
Yes they are magnificent hunters but everyone’s correct they are luckily not a documented threat to humans. That being said, if that was me I would have been bloody terrified, at least at first. After the initial encounter, it becomes apparent they aren’t on the hunt. That moment where the large whale is swimming beside and rolls and swims along swimmer, it seems clear it is a moment of pure curiosity, whale just having a look and “saying hello”. What an experience that must have been to look a wild orca in the eye so close. Incredible video. Magnificent animals.
They use their nose and lateral line - big on movement/electrical impulses. Sharks are also really dumb too. Smart but dumb. They bite first then think. Although - diving with them - they are sneaky and will absolutely go around rock structures and out of sight and come in a different direction. They are great ambush predators. When they get in pairs - they seem to work together too. Dove with a pair of sandies that would split up and come around a diff side of a coral structure over my shoulder. They repeatedly did this until I moved (sketched me out because they would have taken a bite had I stayed a missed seeing one over my shoulder).
an Orca is actually a Dolphin, not a whale - so you are absolutely correct on echolocation. I know nothing of Orca’s though. Never studied/dissected/dove with them
I saw that too, that was one ballsy lady, or she has one month to live from cancer or some other ailment. I would have shit my pants, but have to confess, just now learning of the inquisitivness of these creatures, and not their deadly nature. Knowing all of that, I would probably stop swimming and just observe a bit, that nibbling on the feet would remind me too much of the time that a hammerhead did that in a race, that was not playful.
Correct, electrical impulses to determine where prey is, but AFAIK to determine what prey is, they also use sight. I’d guess orcas use both as well. My understanding is sharks use bites for exploration, i.e. how they touch things. It just may be devastating if they “touch” your femoral.
I’ve been with sharks in feeding situation (staged and unstaged) including down in feeding frenzies at Cocos Island, and have never felt threatened. They did hunt as “packs” chasing a fish into a coral head and the sharks on the other side got the meal
I saw that too, that was one ballsy lady, or she has one month to live from cancer or some other ailment. I would have shit my pants, but have to confess, just now learning of the inquisitivness of these creatures, and not their deadly nature. Knowing all of that, I would probably stop swimming and just observe a bit, that nibbling on the feet would remind me too much of the time that a hammerhead did that in a race, that was not playful.
I had to look it up. Per wikipedia, knower of all things, turns out killer whales are not considered much of a threat to humans. They probably thought she was just strange.
Would you be willing to swim with them?
Probably. I’d be nervous just because of the size. I’ve swam with sharks, including Whale sharks, large seals dophins and a few small whales, nothing the size of an Orca though. Not one recorded attack on humans in the wild.
I don’t think I’d be as cool as she was though. She seemed nonplussed by it. I wouldn’t get out the water, but yeah I’d be nervous. I had a 3m beaked whale, I’m guessing it was young, very inquisitive, I could see it posed no danger at all, but it’s sheer size was intimidating. The whale shark I swam with, much bigger, but had zero interest in me.
I wonder what that’s about. I had a large seal that was very playful with me. Swam with me for about 30mins, it did start trying to nibble my toes though. I’m guessing it was playful behavior but it probably could have taken off one of my toes with his teeth!
