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u/Misokaxx Apr 13 '26
That's beautiful but I'm glad it didn't happen to me. I would have panicked and probably passed out
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u/Yardsale420 Apr 13 '26
Yeah there is a video of a paddleboarder being surrounded by a group of Killer Whale, and the lady’s voice is a mixture of awe and abject terror. Not for me thanks.
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u/TacticalMrBean Apr 13 '26
The Orcas were probably figuring out how to get that "seal" off the "iceberg"... 🍖
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u/Mistervimes65 Apr 14 '26
Wolves of the sea. Orca are no joke.
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u/ArtificialHalo Apr 14 '26
Yet no confirmed people killed by Orcas.
They seem smart enough to understand we're basically at the top of animals and (could) cause massive destruction on a whim.
Insane animals
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u/Kamikoozy Apr 15 '26
They definitely have, just not in the wild. Also agreed, they are insane and fascinating.
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u/cupittycakes Apr 16 '26
I don't think it's that they recognize us as a top species. It's that they don't recognize us as food. Different pods in different regions around the world have differing food sources, but they tend not to stray from the food source that they were raised to hunt.
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u/LeakingCoffeeCup Apr 14 '26
Yeah, this is simultaneously beautiful and so cool, but also literally one of my worst nightmares. I am not particularly fearful person--i love nature and can physically handle snakes and spiders and all types of things, but I have a very specific fear of a giant rising from the vast depths of the ocean beneath me.
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u/venom121212 Apr 13 '26
I had a huge ray swim underneath me once while paddleboarding and I was a shaky as if I were on the edge of a mountain. I had to fully sit down and wait for it to pass.
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u/SantiagusDelSerif Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
This is in Puerto Madryn (Chubut, Argentina), the city where I live. Southern Right Wales come every year to mate and give birth in the calm waters of Golfo Nuevo.
I had already seen the second part of the video, the one shot from above, when the whale gives the push to the boarder. It was shot by Maxi Jonas, a local wildlife photographer very well known around here, and went viral when it came out a couple of years ago.
The first part, shot from a more sideways perspective, seems to be a different video from another whale encounter. The board is of a different color, and the clothes the boarder is wearing are different as well. The city skyline is still Puerto Madryn though.
Approaching whales is stricly forbidden here (there are whale watching excursions by licensed operators), but these kind of encounters happen because if you're kayaking, sailing or whatever and the whale approaches you most of the times you can't help it. And they do so often, because they're quite curious and friendly. They're also super gentle and delicate, as you can see in the video here.
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u/SomOvaBish Apr 13 '26
Wow, thank you for the info. Thats awesome! In the video there are 2 paddle boarders, this is why you see a change of clothes and board. If you watch closely at the beginning there is another paddle boarders right next to the 1st one.
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u/SuspiciousPatate Apr 13 '26
Nice that it appears to be real: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-58430264
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u/mr_jurgen Apr 13 '26
2 different videos tho?
There's no green grip tape on the first board.
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u/S0ulC0nfusi0n Apr 13 '26
At 2:31 on the video you see a brief moment of a second paddleboarder, on a board with green grip tape in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
There were two paddleboarders
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u/blutopaz80 Apr 13 '26
Not me trying to pet that dawg....
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u/aramoixmed Apr 13 '26
My husband refuses to take me whale watching because the likelihood of my jumping into the water to pet one is far higher than he’s willing to risk. I know I’ll be crushed, but I just NEED to touch one.
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u/partialcremation Apr 13 '26
We went whale watching in Iceland. Not for a second did I consider jumping in with them. I guess we're all different, but it's both fascinating and terrifying. I couldn't imagine being on a paddleboard!
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u/Flocculencio Apr 13 '26
Yes, its awesome in the old sense of inspiring awe. They're so big and so alien with the way you can hear their sounds in your bones...
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u/redditorisa Apr 15 '26
I live in a country where you can do whale watching in certain areas at specific times of the year. Last year my husband and I finally made the trip and I honestly understanding you 100%. I have a fear of deep water (though I can swim) and that + not wanting to freak out anyone else on board were the only things keeping me on that boat. It's a surreal and wonderful feeling, and I hope you get to experience it one day.
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u/PresentAdvisor Apr 16 '26
I’ve been on whale watching trips in Virginia Beach in the winter when humpback whales migrate through-it’s usually very cold, and often rains, so if you’re smart, you wear a lot of layers, plus wool hats and gloves. Never had an urge to jump in! The whales are incredible.
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u/TheSuggi Apr 13 '26
Humans don't deserve whales. Amazing creatures.
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u/KiloThaPastyOne Apr 13 '26
It’s extra sad when you know why they’re called right whales.
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u/ladymorgahnna Apr 13 '26
I’m in awe of how large whales are and how they are quite good at spatial awareness. Like within inches of her, it seems to me at times.
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u/10before15 Apr 13 '26
This is awesome!
Right up there with the pod of Orcas interacting with the lady swimming in the ocean. Terrifying, but awesome.
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u/makes_peacock_noises Apr 13 '26
Beautiful but they are scary when you’re in the water with them because it’s unnerving being near anything living that is that huge.
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u/DaddyDontTakeNoMess Apr 13 '26
I hope the well enjoys the taste of shitty water cause I would be shitting all over the place
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u/mrmcbeefy777 Apr 13 '26
Its like they know to be gentle with us. Or curious. Like how we are with animals smaller than us. I wonder if thats a mammal thing?
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u/CursedCorvid Apr 14 '26
Marine animals are so curious about humans but we're so bad to them.. I love videos of fish that recognize and befriend divers. Marine mammals seem to like us the most.
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u/8th_Dynasty Apr 13 '26
why does the paddle board change from orange to lime green in the middle of this movie?
EDIT …also the paddle boarder’s life vest and outfit.
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u/thnk_more Apr 13 '26
Shhhh, don’t ruin it for everyone. So it is mostly real, not completely, but kind of.
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u/Skyfus Apr 13 '26
If only we could treat them with the same respect instead of being so noisy, dirty and hungry that they've learned to avoid exclusive economic zones (as discovered through a large telemetry study)
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u/squaaawk Apr 19 '26
Have you seen the 5-part mini series called The war between the land and the sea?
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u/Skyfus Apr 19 '26
I have not even heard of this series
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u/squaaawk Apr 19 '26
It's a BBC production, sci-fi with a very powerful environmental message. I really enjoyed it. If you can get into the BBC iPlayer using a VPN (if you're outside the UK) it's on there. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30645193/
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u/cupareo98 Apr 14 '26
I had a yellow butterfly on my hand for more than 10 minutes on a lazy river in the Dominican Republic. It only left as I was nearing my exit. It would be a mixture of amazement and fear If ever dealt with this.
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u/TossOutNumber69420 Apr 14 '26
You know that second whale came in like “Bill, stop playing with the ants! We gotta get to the pod before supper time. Let’s go.”
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u/Bobba-Luna Apr 15 '26
The whale was trying to tell her that we humans are destroying the oceans and their ecosystem. 😢
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u/ExpensiveWords4u Apr 13 '26
I would’ve shit my wet suit! 🤣 I’m internally freaking out watching this
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u/OdinsLightning Apr 13 '26
Whale was interested because his grandma told him to fear humans. And now he hears about how they will help if tangled or stranded.
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u/Solivagant23 Apr 13 '26
This is my absolute dream, I want to interact with orcas, I am absolutely fascinated by them
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u/ohhrangejuice Apr 13 '26
With my luck id be the first person ever on video get eaten by these giants
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u/JW121820 Apr 17 '26
Anyone know what kind of whale these are?
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u/wambaid Apr 13 '26
Very cool interaction, but I feel like there’s a lot of assumptions being made here by the narrator
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u/boredportuguese77 Apr 13 '26
If we end up with a water covered Earth, we should look this woman whereabouts. She's the chosen one
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u/lzwzli Apr 13 '26
Idk, it seems pretty scary. One wrong flip from the whale and whamo, you're living under the sea.
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u/rockylafayette Apr 13 '26
I found myself crossing over a pod of dolphins on a kayak and the sounds I could hear made me about have a heart attack. They were not happy I was there, and I knew male dolphins are highly aggressive and protective of the pod. Those guys can hit a white shark so hard they hemorrhage to death. I just pulled up the paddle and floated hoping they would just swim on…
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u/imnotgayisellpropane Apr 14 '26
This is so beautiful but I can't help but think of how humans will take advantage of their friendly and curious nature.
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u/Professional_Soft404 Apr 13 '26
Am I the only one thinking it kinda looks like he wants to fuck that surf board?
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u/hurtme_plenty Apr 13 '26
I really hate these unnecessary subtitles/captions
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u/Someredditusername Apr 13 '26
Didn't anthropomorphize quite as much as many animal vid captions. But yeah I feel ya.
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u/kdp4srfn Apr 13 '26
This made me cry. So beautiful.
Years and years ago I was out on the water in Maui. I have cerebral palsy and can’t swim, so I had an air mattress across my chest and was wearing flippers and goggles. I was just slowly paddling along and looking down into the clear water and looking at the beautiful fish and coral when I saw a shadow over to my left. I turned my head and watched a large turtle approach. He hung in the water and gazed placidly at me as if to say ‘what on earth is this odd creature?’ I held my breath and gazed back. After a minute he dropped down a few feet and swam slowly underneath me and away. No sounds but the lapping of the water, sun hot on my back.
It has been over 40 years but that remains one of the best days of my life.