‘In complete shock’: Wellington swimmer in awe after being surrounded by orcas

It wasn’t just residents having a bit of beach and holiday time over Wellington’s long weekend. 

Several orcas were spotted swimming around the harbour, hanging out in areas like Frank Kitts and Oriental Bay. 

Some were more curious than others, with one swimmer finding himself surrounded on a pontoon.

The Breeze Wellington Breakfast’s Steve and Shelley spoke to champion Wellington swimmer Joel Crampton who was resting to pray when he was interrupted by a huge whale spout. 

“It sounded like a gushing waterfall for a split second,” he recalled. 

“I was just in complete shock.”

Joel said he waited for them to swim off a couple hundred meters before he “gapped it back to shore”. 

He explained that at the time, he didn’t know they were harmless. 

“[When] you’ve also got something that big next to you, your first thought isn’t really to get in the water,” he said. 

“It was certainly a funny moment, but I didn’t think it would get international attention.”

Shelley explained that often orcas come to visit "every now and then". 

One of them is called ‘Funky Monkey’ and can be identified by its “wonky fin”.

“There’s only 120 orca in New Zealand,” she said. 

“You can see all of their names because they get tracked, amazing right?”

What a treat to see in real life!