Man body slams orca

A New Zealand man has been described as ‘stupid’ and ‘irresponsible’ by the country’s Department of Conservation after he was filmed jumping off a boat in an attempt to ‘body slam’ an orca for social media views.

Footage captured of the incident, shared to Instagram earlier this year, shows the man jumping off the side of a boat off the coast of Devonport in Auckland. The man appears to be deliberately trying to make contact with the adult male orca, which is swimming several feet away. An orca calf can also be seen in the footage.

Others aboard the boat can be heard laughing as the man swims back towards the boat, shouting, “I touched it,” and asking, “did you get that?”

Despite the footage being uploaded several months ago, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation was only recently alerted after a tip-off from people who had seen the footage and expressed concern.

The department opened an investigation and, working with police, identified the 50-year-old man and handed him a NZ$600 infringement fine.

“The video left us genuinely stunned,” says Hayden Loper, a principal investigator at the department. “As well as the initial attempt to dive onto the animal, the man stays in the water and then swims toward it again in a second attempt to touch it.

“This is stupid behaviour and demonstrates a shocking disregard for the welfare of the orca. It is extremely irresponsible.

“Orca are immensely powerful animals, and this really could have ended horribly – with either the startled whale being injured, or the man responsible being harmed by the aggravated animal.

“It’s a very clear breach of the Marine Mammals Protection Act. Orca are classified as whales under conservation legislation and it is illegal to swim with whales, or disturb or harass any marine mammal.”

Typically people infringe the act accidentally, such as by taking a jet ski too close.

While social media can help bring such incidents to light, it can also be a catalyst for poor behaviour.

“This is the third case in recent years in which social media content has led to a successful prosecution for DOC and we greatly appreciate the tip-offs we get from the public,” says Loper.

While the orca in question appears unscathed, the man’s actions could potentially have damaged the orca’s delicate fins or contributed to the separation of the pod.

Orca attacks and interactions

In recent years, there have been incidents in which wild orca have been perceived to have attacked humans – including recent incidents off the coast of Spain, where orca have sunk several small vessels – and any sudden moves near orca significantly risk the chance of people being harmed.

The RYA has recently urged vigilance for orca encounters in The Bay of Biscay, Iberian Peninsula and Strait of Gibraltar.

According to the RYA, around 15 of a population of less than 50 orcas have caused damage to numerous small vessels, at least four of which have sunk. The damage typically affects the rudders and crews can usually make their way to a safe port. 

The Cruising Association (CA) has recently analysed available orca interaction reports since 2020 to produce a new table showing locations by year and month along the Atlantic coasts of France, Portugal, Spain and through the Strait of Gibraltar. Skippers can review this table when planning to sail through the specific areas of coastline affected by orca interactions and attacks.

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