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What would you do if you came face-to-face with a killer whale? Earlier this week, Hamish Stewart, a New Zealand man, found himself faced with this very question.
While scuba diving near Rangipukea Island for scallops, not one… but THREE humongous killer whales made a beeline for him.
Stewart said, “All I saw was this big black and white face.” One of the orca whales was only a meter away. Kylie Strongman, Stewart’s sister, was aboard the boat and managed to capture the encounter below.
Try not to squirm when you watch it, we dare you.
As soon as Mrs. Strongman saw the orca whales headed directly toward her brother, she called to him, “They’re coming right for you!” Their father, who was also on board, revved the engine to alert the experienced diver. Stewart surfaced ASAP, so fast that his mask actually filled with water. Stewart recalled, “I might have walked on water.”
“It felt like forever…” said Stewart. “You know deep down that orcas don’t kill but they were huge … and you don’t know if they were protecting their babies or thought he was a seal,” Mrs. Strongman also commented. This encounter was actually their second of the day. Earlier they spotted several orca whales that were hunting stingrays closer to shore.
Even though Stewart didn’t get any scallops, “It was a pretty awesome experience.”