Viral Drone Footage Shows Swimmer Who Is Being Surrounded By A Group Of Orcas Off New Zealand’s Coast

“I was also thinking they eat seals and I’m in a black wetsuit”

Maryjane

• Published in Animal Stories
• September 29, 2022

Swimming is an enjoyable sport and, left to some of us, we’d love to explore more waters. While swimming off the coast of New Zealand, a woman had the experience of a lifetime.

This woman was savoring the moment of her training when three killer whales unexpectedly approached her. They were almost too close for comfort as she was enjoying her training.

The incident was unintentionally captured by Australian traveler Dylan Brayshaw using a drone, and it is nothing short of extraordinary. From Hahei, New Zealand, Judie Johnson, a skilled swimmer, attended a swimming session off the Coromandel coast.

But the woman soon discovered that she was being circled by a pod of orcas, turning what she had initially assumed to be simply another ordinary day at work into a hair-raising experience. When the swimmer learned she had to deal with orcas instead of dolphins, she became terrified and swam back to shore. 

Judie told the New Zealand news station 1News that there was a shape that went under her, like a giant shape, and she thought [it was] dolphins. She was quite delighted, but then she saw the great white color on the back.

"I was also thinking they eat seals, and I’m in a black wetsuit," she added. 

The moment was accidentally caught on by a drone by Australian tourist Dylan Brayshaw

After taking a brief rest on the sand, Judie realized what was happening and made the decision to get back in the water. The three orcas joined her right away because they were still present as she had anticipated.

A woman was enjoying her training when all of a sudden three killer whales got almost too close for comfort

But this time, she set her concerns aside and relished the exceptional experience. "It was so different to anything that’s happened to me before, and I thought, no, this is a life-changing experience," she said.

She also added that the orcas were as interested and curious about her as she was about them. The drone footage of Judie's surprising experience quickly became viral online.

The swimmer initially thought they were dolphins, but swam back as soon as she realized she had to deal with orcas

Dylan Brayshaw, the owner of the drone, was equally astounded and thrilled by the event. He described the encounter as "truly amazing" when speaking to local media.

The man also said that when the orcas circled the swimmer, she received quite a shock. Judie’s unexpected experience was caught on by drone, and the footage went viral online.

Watch the breathtaking video below!

In the words of the drone owner, Dylan, he said:

"She then got out of the water as she was only a few feet from shore. Then, to my surprise, she got back into the water and swam back towards the pod…I launched the drone and filmed from a fair distance away, making sure not to disturb the pod of orcas. What I witnessed was truly amazing."

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Maryjane