Diver survives being dragged underwater by killer whale

Updated
diver dragged underwater by orca in new zealand
diver dragged underwater by orca in new zealand


A 23-year-old free diver was dragged beneath the sea for more than 40 seconds by a killer whale in New Zealand.

Levi Gavin was fishing at Horahora Estuary, 30km east of Whangarei, when the orca grabbed the catch bag he was holding, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Luckily, a rope connecting Gavin to the bag came undone and he was able to escape.

Speaking to the Sunday Herald, he said: "As soon as it got me under water, my goggles came off and kept flapping on my face and it just kept going."

He managed to remove his weight belt and floated to the surface.

"My cousin was about 30m from me and I could hear his flippers from a mile away trying to get out to me because he saw me pop up," he said.

Gavin's cousin held him and kicked his flippers to keep the pair buoyant before the tide carried them to some rocks.

Attacks by orcas in the wild are reportedly rare and while there have been deaths by the animals in captivity, there are no known fatalities by wild killer whales.

In 2006, a killer whale at SeaWorld dragged its trainer underwater for 15 minutes. The terrifying attack by orca Kasatka was captured on video.



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