An incredible encounter between an orca and a kneeboarder has been caught on camera off Auckland's Hibiscus Coast.
Brendon Adams was kneeboarding off Tindalls Bay when he fell off his board, and within seconds was approached by an inquisitive orca.
And it was a stroke of luck that Sam Kynman-Cole from topVIEW Photography caught the whole thing on a drone camera.
"They're quite inquisitive," Mr Kynman-Cole told Newshub. "I thought he was going to have an amazing experience."
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Mr Adams said he knew there were orca in the bay, but had no idea how close they were to him.
"It was a mixture of panicking and excitement," he said. "I wasn't sure if they were going to eat me, bite me, or bounce me like a ball.
"When I realised the drone was there, I said 'oh, this is going to be good'. It was like winning the fifth division of Lotto."
Mr Kynman-Cole said it wasn't the first time he had seen an orca in the bay, but the footage he captured was "magical".
"He was lying on his back all relaxed then pointed to the orca and there was a bit of a scramble to get back on his board."
Video below:
It's also not the first time Mr Adams has come up against a large animal while out on the sea.
"I've seen some big sharks out here but that was bigger and scarier."
He said he once encountered "a giant shark" off the coast of Stanmore Bay a few years ago.
"It was bigger than the kayak I was in."
Has his encounter put him off kneeboarding in the area? Mr Adams says definitely not.
"Let's go kneeboarding. I'm keen."
The Orca Research trusts reminds people that swimming within 100 metres of an orca is illegal, but if you're out on the water and get approached, move away as calmly and quickly as possible.
Newshub.
