Stand up paddler meets killer whale

A surfer in New Zealand probably had the most exciting encounter of his life while doing stand up paddling. A curious orca appeared next to his SUP board and first examined the athlete. We'll show you the spectacular video.

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All of a sudden the killer whale emerged from the green colored water and first examined the stand up paddler up close. The Orca is dipped from behind directly under the Stand Up Paddler's board. The surfer was visibly excited with his Go-Pro camera and tried to capture the spectacular encounter.

Why does something like this never happen to us?

Our first thought when watching the video was: Why can't this happen to us while SUPing on the Alster in Hamburg?! The probability here is probably close to zero. You're most likely to come across a duck here. More like surfing in the Baltic Sea. Water sports enthusiasts are increasingly encountering dolphins here and there has also been a humpback whale in the Baltic Sea.

You're most likely to see a whale SUP in the Maldives hit - the probability is probably much higher. After all, we had small sharks on the board at SUP in the Maldives. We watched the video several times in a row and just couldn't believe it. Nobody turns anything for me, nothing does its rounds for you and suddenly such a huge animal appears on the boat. Every SUP boarder should get a little queasy.

Spectacular video – Orca plays with stand up paddlers

Below is the spectacular video that entered the GoPro Awards a few years ago. I've watched it again and again over time - and to this day I'm still waiting for a similar encounter while doing stand up paddling.

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Orca nudges the stand-up paddling board

The orca, on the other hand, also seemed uncomfortable with the strange object on the surface of the water. He appears at the back of the stand up paddling board with his mouth wide open and watches the SUP boarder curiously, as if he doesn't really know what to do with the surfboard and the person on it. From the camera perspective it looks as if the orca wants to bite the board.

After the stand-up paddler and the orca have sniffed each other enough and the huge killer whale has satisfied his curiosity, he goes on his way again and disappears into the greenish water with a few big flaps of his fins. At the end of the video, a visibly happy SUP boarder films himself.

Again and again, water sports have encounters with large marine animals such as the Orca

This stand up paddler wasn't the only one who had the encounter of his life. Other water sports enthusiasts also repeatedly encounter whales on their tours, Hedge, dolphins or other animals that congest them. For example, there is a video that shows a SUP fan encountering a humpback whale. Kayak fans also often come across large whales on their tours - which doesn't always turn out harmlessly because the animals pose a danger to the athletes due to their sheer size. Also at Diving an encounter with large marine animals is almost guaranteed in some places around the world.

Have you ever experienced something special with Stand Up Paddling? Share your experiences in the comments.