New Zealand diver records orca pod close encounter

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A New Zealand man diving off the coast of Little Barrier Island captured footage of his close encounter with a pod of orca whales.

Sam Galloway, a student at the University of Auckland, posted a YouTube video showing his up-close-and-personal encounter with the killer whales while diving with friends.

Galloway said the whales seen up close in the footage appear to be youngsters.

"While out for a spearfish/cray dive at Little Barrier, a pod of Orcas (Killer Whales) came cruising past us. We saw them twice as they did laps of the island, hunting stingray in the shallows. The larger ones weren't very interested in us but the calves came in for a close look," Galloway wrote in the video's description.