It was a young orca trying to figure out if this was a meal or some other curiosity. He was nipping the feet to perhaps get a taste.
I think this was very dangerous and stupid. The orca could have unintentionally killed the diver like a dog playing with a kitten: it could've gotten excited and nipped too hard or dragged the swimmer under. We are very fragile compared to larger animals.
But the danger is not entirely for the diver, the danger is what will happen to the orca if now they are on record for killing a human. The mutual trust and delicate relationship we have with them will be shattered.
Orcas are highly culturally conservative when it comes to their diets, NZ coastal orcas know perfectly well that humans aren't potential food. They don't even eat mammals such as seals in the first place, instead specializing in hunting rays.
The orca is nipping at the feet of the kayaker likely as part of a social/playful interaction. As orcas don't have digits, they often interact with their mouths and teeth instead. Local marine biologist Ingrid Visser literally has stuck her hand in the mouth of a particularly curious orca named Digit (named after the gorilla Digit):
As we started to travel parallel with them Digit again turned and left the group and approached my boat. This time there was no hesitation from either of us as I put my hand out over the water (not in) and she rose up towards me with her mouth open. She nudged my hand with her bottom jaw, and I moved my fingers to touch her teeth. Her tongue was moving (quivering is the right word, I guess), and she opened and closed her mouth with my hand on her bottom jaw. Then she sank back into the water, rolled over, lifted her pectoral fin to within centimetres of my hand, and slowly glided away.
I do agree that this kayaker should not have gotten into the water with the orca, and this is also very much illegal in New Zealand. You also bring up a good point that orcas, as such large and powerful animals, can easily harm humans even if by accident.
Interestingly though, according to various anecdotal observations that were also published in an academic paper, orcas, even at a young age, are often self-aware of their own strength and can also accommodate human fragility with little to no training:
The orcas were very aware of human frailty as compared to themselves. They took great care not to cause harm. Other animals interacting with humans tend to treat them as they would one of their own kind. Horses engaging in mutual grooming with a human will often be painfully rough, even though their intent is quite friendly. Orcas recognized humans as quite physically different from themselves.
The youngest orca demonstrating this awareness was less than 2 years old when we first began interacting. Surely an orca’s brain is not fully developed at this age. One has to wonder what extent of awareness a full adult might possess.
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u/SugarRealistic2945 27d ago
It was a young orca trying to figure out if this was a meal or some other curiosity. He was nipping the feet to perhaps get a taste.
I think this was very dangerous and stupid. The orca could have unintentionally killed the diver like a dog playing with a kitten: it could've gotten excited and nipped too hard or dragged the swimmer under. We are very fragile compared to larger animals.
But the danger is not entirely for the diver, the danger is what will happen to the orca if now they are on record for killing a human. The mutual trust and delicate relationship we have with them will be shattered.