Wow, scary beautiful if that's not an interesting combo :-) I would have been freaking out a little but so glad you didn't & was able to capture this amazing experience. So freaking cool!

The ocean couldn't have been more calm and serene? They seem to have been drawn to you, Rich! Such a beautiful experience. So glad you captured it.

Rich, thank you for this! Your amazing experience shows these gentle and intelligent animals to all the world for what they are.

This video is so beautiful. This is where they belong. ❤️

Absolutely amazing!!!! Love seeing animals in their natural habitat.

This is why I love living in California. What an incredible experience that had to be firsthand. We live in an amazing place here. Thank you for sharing!

this is where orcas belong :)

I just got into watching Orca videos and falling in love with them. My heart stopped looking at your footage because you are right down there close to them in the water. I could never do that. I appreciate your video because you can and it allows scary people like myself to experience this. Thank you!

WOW! I would be both amazed and terrified at the same time! lol totally a dream come true though...Just beautiful!

Amazing. What an incredible experience you had!

Glad to hear seaworld will finally stop breeding/capturing orcas

This is so amazing! I'm so happy you got to experience this and thank you for sharing it!!

Orcas are so curious and intelligent. They even seem affectionate at times. Almost like they're trying win us hunans over with positive interactions. What a wonderful encounter with some fabulous animals. Thanks for sharing.

Rich, what a great experience! Lucky you. Such beauty to see such a large animal moving freely and gracefully about.

Very cool. My mother and three younger sisters were all kayaking with a friend of theirs up near Olympia Washington back in the late 1980's and they encountered a huge pod of Orca that they said swam around them and followed them for two hours. They said that that experience was the most amazing time of their lives. I had wished that I had gone on that trip with them, but I have had my own encounters with a Blue Whale in Laguna Beach as well back in 2005. And only only minutes before I saw the Blue Whale...a huge sea turtle swam to the surface only about ten feet in front of my boat, gulped some air, and then dove again and I never saw it again. But it was easily four feet in length. It was absolutely huge and beautiful! I love the ocean.

What a transporting experience,a thrilling gift never to be forgotten! Thanks Rich for sharing it!

1:57 I would shit myself on the spot if I was paddle boarding and suddenly DORSAL FINS.

Thank you sooo much. Raising awareness about these divine creatures is so important. I like to think of them as "The People" of the sea. Their intelligence and I dare say humanity may exceed our limited understanding of them. They deserve our respect and protection.

its slightly interesting to see some of the comments. Though it is rare, orcas in the wild can develop collapsed fins. So the whale in the video is not necessarily a formerly captive animal. Also, looking at the paddle boarders youtube page, it's obvious the man is well aware of the risks. There is inherent risk in so much we all do. For putting yourself in this position on the mighty pacific to capture these moments, thank you. I will say I hope there is not a large group of inexperienced swimmers that try to pull this same thing off. Abalone Cove use to be so lovely until social media users turned it into a trouble spot for life guard rescue crews. People can be silly.

My eye water just watching. They are the most majestic animal EVER!!!

Amazing video and loved the introduction! If only everyone would realize that this is a billion times better of an experience than SeaWorld or parks like it. I hope everyone shares this video, because raising awareness is what frees this beautiful animals. Thank you for sharing this amazing experience and shining light on the wonders of wild Orcas.

OMG, that's so awesome!!! I don't know if I'd be a bit terrified or paralyzed with absolute awe and bewilderment!!! That would be so amazing! And you had a couple big males there. When the one swam up to you and glided under your board I was sure his dorsal fin was gunna graze your board! Amazing experience and footage. Thanks for sharing 💕

can i like this video a billion times? no doubt in my mind...... in an alternate universe..... tillikum would have happily swam under your kayak..... you have enlightened me my friend........ maybe the best and most humble orca video i've ever seen!!!!! they totally respected and admired you man!!!! they vibed with you.....and their dream and your dream came true!!!!! didn't have to be on video, but it was!!!! and I appreciated it.....especially on January 6th, 2017...... RIP Tilly and I believe there's a brighter future for your pod and kind..... On behalf of being a human, I am sorry for my people...... May you swim with your family once again!

I hope to also make my dream come true of seeing an orca in its natural habitat! I refuse to see it behind glass !

Amazing! I would love to experience seeing Orcas in the Wild.

Beautiful captures!! Lovely video - Thanks for sharing!!

You should carry a harmonica with you, I hear both dolphins, whales, & killer whales LOVE the sound it makes.

nature has blessed you!

I,m so happy your dream came true!!! they are truly a spirit animal for you..... you truly respect the ocean...... wow!!!! i,m proud of you my friend!!!! Orcas forever!!!!

I've always loved and respected Orcas and as simple as this video is, it took my breath away.

"Wow! We got to see humans really close up today!" Such a mystical experience for you ... thanks for sharing.

PETA shared this vid on Twitter, BTW. I'm so glad they did.

I love orcas but I feel where their true beauty is found is how they swim. I absolutely love the sound they make when they surface and draw air in. It's just so harmonious and beautiful.

What an amazing encounter !! I have worked with wild orcas for 6 years and we have had them under the boat countless times too. I love how GoPro is showing lots more encounter with these amazing animals ! and mammal eating orcas too ! transients! who don't show any interest in humans as snacks - incredible !

she/he is saying hello to you by swimming under your board. how great to experience this. thanks for sharing this peaceful video. :D

Good lord... The view, the elegance of the orcas, the silence.. my dream

Majestic

MIND BLOWING EXPERIENCE!!! I'm in total awe! I've been in that same area on my kayak... never would've dreamed of seeing a pod of Orcas! Phenomenal.

The people on those boats must've been thinking, "Wow, this guy is only on a paddle board while there 5 orcas nearby... His balls must hang low to the ground. Bad ass, even." hahaha Great vid! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My kids and I have been learning about orcas in science (we homeschool). The kids say that this is amazing! Thanks for posting!

I can not thank you enough for this video! My number one goal, fantasy, dream in life is to see Orcas, close up in the wild! I love them more then words can say!

Beautiful transient pod

One time I was in waters about 4 1/2-5 feet deep and a dolphin came almost within range of me touching it, it was amazing. I kind of know how you felt here. It is awesome being able to see these animals in the wild. I also am going to pursue a career in marine biology, which made this video very enjoyable for me. Thanks for uploading ye lucky bastard!

Absolutely incredible. What a life changing experience. Thanks for sharing! :)

Wow! What an amazing, incredible experience! I got chills just watching. So glad your dream came true! Thanks for sharing.

Free orcas !!!! #Dontbuyaticket

That gave me chills. That was too cool. They are so beautiful!! Thank you for sharing your experience.

I really appreciate that you gave some information about these beautiful animals. Such an awesome experience and the only way to see these animals!

Such beautiful creatures. That one was checking out the paddleboarder, for sure.

Such gorgeous animals! So curious about anyone or anything "new" in there environment!!!

Jimi would appreciate that board graphic right now! "Butterflies and Zebras, and Orca Whales, Thats all she talks about"!

This is Just Amazing, Such a special moment, very Jealous

WHY PEOPLE FUCKEN DISLIKE THIS, THIS VID IS AWESOME

Words cannot express how much I truly appreciate this video. Everything that you said is so completely true and the video itself is absolutely breathtaking. Thank you so much for sharing this remarkable video. I am extremely excited to use this as part of my speech and paper.

So beautiful and majestic. This is exactly why we "don't" need attractions like sea world...

Such a beautiful video of wild animals actually being in the wild where they belong. Love it!!

OMG. This is so cool! I had the priviledge of paddling with a gray whale just off the coast of SB last weekend - but Orca's take the cake!!

I love Orcas living free in the wild (: I always see pod of dolphins playing along when I’m sailing in the ferry ship here in Philippines, someday I’ll see this wonderful creations as well free on their environment from the right distance for respect and not to harm them, one of my bucket list.

Take that SeaWorld!!

Wow - so cool Rich! Thanks for posting this amazing video.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful :) Wise souls they are...... love it, +RichGerman !

WOW, thats close encounter. Great shots you got there and I like your introduction. COOL!

Thank you so much for sharing this magical experience!

Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your footage !!

Awesome experience! Thanks for sharing!

That is badass dude. I would have loved to see that (maybe not from a paddleboard, but a boat lol 😀)

Thank be an you for sharing. I would love to experience an Orca encounter like you had. I spent 5 years in the Navy in the 80s. I once saw Porpoises in the Indian Ocean playing in the wake of the aircraft carrier I was on. That was the only encounter I had with aquatic mammals. Tony

So beautiful..Brings happy tears to me. Seeing them in there oceans, happy with there family's..🙏

Awesome video👍👍👍👍So lucky you were able to experience this👏👏👏🐳🐳🐳

Beautiful, Amazing. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for sharing. You are so fortunate!! ❤️💙💚🤎🧡💜💙💛❤️

Thanks for sharing this man! What a great moment. Have to say I'm pretty jealous haha.

how amazing would that be!!! and dorsal fins sticking strait up not flopped over like sea world orcas!

Amazing! This is one of my dreams, as well. I hope I get the pleasure one day. Thank you for sharing the video!

Great video! It is cool that you have seen all types of marine life- but you are right there is something about Orcas. They are beautiful, graceful and gentle around people in the wild which is wild as you consider they are the Apex predator of the sea. You are lucky to have seen Orca that close.

Wow, simply mesmerising, I could watch them for hours on my tablet, can't imagine being that close to them on a paddle board. That definitely took some cahonas to be that brave. There's one video of a lady scuba diving and swimming with wild Orcas. As for me I'll admire them from a safe distace, Iv'e had a healthy fear (unwarrented) of them since that movie from the 70s, the one were Bo Derek had her leg bitten off.

Amazing, you are really lucky! I've seen orca's once at the Strait of Gibraltar, will never forget that!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It must have been truly amazing.

Wow, how Awesome!! Thank you for a fabulous video!! ❤

The orca that came up to you was indeed a whale that has been in CAPTIVITY, and is why it kept coming to check you out. The table tale sign is because wild whale NEVER get "cramped fin bend-over" ! This is the very first thing I noticed about that particular whale. IF he thought you were there to play games, ( as surely it saw you had many in audience in the other boats) he or she really could have knocked you into the water for further playtime. You we're very lucky and dropping to your knees was telling it "No sir, I'll pass for now." Common sense. Thank God it (or all of them) were RELEASED back to the wild. I believe all Show/captive whales should do no longer than 2-3 years and then be permanentely released far far away into their blessed home the OCEAN forever! Stay watchful & careful always.

Way to go, I'm glad that idiot from Daves sailboat wasn't screaming at you that your endangering them or what not, all the while he's got his props spinning and smelly motors exhaust pumping into the ocean ! I'm thinking this is the same pod that was up in Redondo Beach last week hanging with the dingy full of dudes, love it! I was out there 5-6 weeks ago on SUP and saw the dolphin highway and some huge whales headed south was amazing to see hundreds of them swimming past us and never knew seals would swim along with them, I'm assuming to evade sharks. Great work, to bad you didn't have a pole on ya !!! Keep it up !!!

this is awesome. i think this was the same pod my friend was lucky enough and finally able to see in Long Beach the day before.

Wow - amazing video.

Great video Rich! Must have been a little intimidating when the one Orca was heading straight for you (when you got down on your knees). Almost like they were playing with you. Really cool, thanks for sharing that!

Awesome, flat glassy water!

Great video! The water is so calm, it looks like a lake!

This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for sharing, Rich. You are blessed. I would LOVE to be that close to orcas.

wow how awesome , we have our boat at the Long Beach Marina and it’s been a dream of mine as well to see orcas how amazing they were so up close and personal they are so incredibly intelligent ! thanks for sharing

Beautiful video, thank you for posting!!!

so awesome man. a story you will tell again and again!

Absolutely breathtaking! Thank you!

Very cool! Great shots. -Michael (nashville)

Go-Pro changes everything. Thanks for posting!

So so so lucky !!!!! Beautiful footage :)

One day I too will see for myself these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.

why would you give this a thumbs down? Great Video!!

Screw the Orcas, there's a bunch of Black-vented Shearwaters flying around!

Awesome, really what more can you say. Thanks for sharing.

Hey man all the thumbdowns are from the jelous people, your vid rocked.