Fishing down at Thornton beach in the Bay of Plenty has been consistent with Kahawai reportedly a little smaller this season but a Christmas gift from Tangaroa was delivered a little late this year.
A Kera Wera (Orca) and its calf were spotted swimming just off the BOP coastline beyond the wave break.
Local fisherman Phil Murray recorded the pair swimming and surfacing for air saying the sighting was “pretty rare”.
There have been few sightings of Orca in the Western Bay of Plenty in the Tauranga Harbour, Mount Maunganui and Bowentown but is not widely reported being seen from Eastern Bay of Plenty beaches.
Commonly known as an apex predators showing high intelligence and problem-solving tendencies there have been many interactions between Orca and humans in the water without injury.
Even though incidents between orcas and humans are rare the Department of Conservation advises against swimming with the orca.
It’s an offence to harass, disturb, injure, or kill marine mammals. Anyone charged with harassing, disturbing, injuring, or killing a marine mammal faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment or a fine to a maximum of $250,000 according to the Marine Mammal Protection Regulation 1992.
The toothed black and white dolphins can grow up to 9.75m for males and 8.5m for females and once born into a family group they stick with that group for life.
Orca feed on prey ranging from fish, squid, seals, seabirds, whales and sharks and are known to be the largest dolphin species in the world.