It’s been said, many times, that humans are just visitors in the ocean. The real locals are the creatures who dwell there permanently; not the ones who merely catch a couple waves in the morning, then head off to the drudgery of a 9-to-5 office job.
So, it would make sense that some of those eternal residents of the sea would know a thing or two about riding waves. They’re built for it; they spend the most time honing such a skill; and they do so sans surfboard, aunaturel.
Recently, a group of killer whales crashed a surf session in New Zealand, showing the humans how it’s done. Check out the footage below.
After the session, local Kiwi surfer Te Waiotu Fairlie recounted:
“I look back, and there’s just this massive fin…like, as big as me. I’m like, ‘oh my god. There’s orcas here.’ There was nothing we could’ve done, but just sit there, and wait for them to leave us alone. They were right there next to us, right in between us! It was the craziest thing ever. Freakiest but coolest encounter ever.”
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Killer whales are, well, killer. They’re apex predators, and so it’s understandable that the experience of sharing the water with them might be a little scary. But the orcas kept (mostly) to themselves, while also showing off their skills.
Per the caption on the video:
“The Killer Whales are actually showing us how to surf! Everyone on the beach had seen the Orca come in and had started to signal to us what was happening… by time we realized what everyone was waving at, the baby Orca was already next to us. What an experience.”
Baby orca shreds. Pretty rare, and special, encounter.
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This story was originally reported by Surfer on Sep 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Surfer as a Preferred Source by clicking here.