orca

Natalie Kepa took her six-year-old daughter, Stella, waterskiing in Kumutoto Bay, New Zealand, when they ran into something unexpected -- orcas! 

Kepa told Storyful that upon first seeing the orcas, she simply "didn't know what to do."

As you can see in the video, Stella is absolute natural waterskiing, her mom and others cheer her on as she takes on this new activity for the very first time. However, soon those cheers turn into shouts of shock. 

"I was beside myself," Natalie told Storyful. Stella, on the other hand, "totally loved it," Natalie said. She "was crazily calm throughout" and is now keen to get out again as her friends thing she's an awesome "whale rider."

According to Whale Facts, orcas tackle large prey and won't attack a human unless threatened. Did you know that there are no known cases of humans being killed by them in the wild? Just something to chew on.

Be sure to look at the bottom of the video under the wake at 0:29 in the water... CRAZY.

Amid growing controversy surrounding Seaworld's orca whales, they have finally vowed to stop orca breeding.  

Since the release of 'Blackfish', a documentary that puts orca whale captivity in a very negative light (see the trailer below) the shows and captive breeding program at SeaWorld seem to have lost their charm.  



As SeaWorld put it in a statement about the decision to stop breeding orca whales, attitudes are changing:

We're changing because attitudes about animals under human care have evolved and we need to evolve with them. And make no mistake: we have all played a big part in why society has evolved on this issue. 

When we opened our doors more than 50 years ago, killer whales were feared and hunted. Now, orcas are among the most beloved marine mammals on the planet. One reason why is more than 400 million people came to our parks and fell in love with our whales.

So in many ways, SeaWorld faced the ultimate paradox. Our whales are one of the biggest reasons people visit our parks. At the same time large animals like orcas under human care were a growing concern for many people. The world changed -- and today SeaWorld is changing with it. 

Wet blankets and cool water kept this orca alive and calm until the water level rose high enough that she could escape. The stranded orca was kept alive for eight hours before the tide came in.

In the video the orca appears unusually relaxed for an animal in danger. One volunteer told CBC News, "I think she knew that we were there to help her."

Thanks to these kind people she's safe in the water where she belongs.

This baby orca is one of four babies born to a Southern Resident orca pod after nearly a three year stretch of unsuccessful births. This happy calf was spotted jumping and playing with her family members in the Salish Sea. She's obviously happy to be alive and according to an interview with Global News some folks with the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) are excited about it too.
Michael Harris, executive director of PWWA told Global News that this calf, named J50, seemed particularly overjoyed. Due to teeth marks seen on J50's back, researchers believe that other whales may have helped her along during her birth. Harris speculated on the reason the little whale kept jumping, saying that, "Maybe the other members of her family realize how precious she is, and how close she came to never making it into this world."

This image is one of many pictures of J50 breaching and playing with her family.

Via Tasli Shaw

Via Clint Rivers

Let's make no mistake about that!

Rich German has been paddle boarding around Laguna Beach, California for years, but he has never seen a pod of Orcas until now.

Here’s his GoPro footage of the moment as the 5 killer whales swim around him and even underneath his board.

“I’m sharing this to raise awareness for these incredible, magical creatures,” he writes on Facebook.