A video shared to Instagram in February 2024 shows a man jumping from a boat into the sea off the coast of Devonport, Auckland in what appears to be an effort to touch or body slam an orca, according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation The video was reported to and shared by the government agency. The New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Harbour Master had reportedly been receiving calls that weekend from concerned members of the public about how close people were getting to the animals. The agency was then tipped off to this video by a member of the public. Principal Investigation Officer Hayden Loper said the 50-year-old Auckland man in the video "showed disregard for his own safety – and that of the adult male orca with a calf swimming near the vessel," the agency said in a press release. At one point in the video, the man can be heard saying “I touched it” to other people on the boat, before asking “Did you get it?”, in an apparent reference to the filming of the interaction. Other people on the boat can also be heard laughing and cheering as they watch. “The video left us genuinely stunned,” Hayden said in the press release. “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.” Marine science staff with the New Zealand Department of Conservation said 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.