This heart-stopping footage shows a professional diver having a rare face-to-face encounter with a giant orca in the waters off the Mexican coast.
Marine enthusiast Nikki Brant, 52, told Newsflash in an interview that she was born and raised in the US state of Utah, but later moved to the Mexican city of Cabo San Lucas because she wanted to be near the ocean.
In this footage filmed just outside the coastal city of San Jose del Cabo, Nikki can be seen coming in incredibly close contact with an orca that appears to be three times her size.
Nikki said she and her friend Alex, the other diver seen in the video, grabbed their cameras and ran out to the sea water after Alex received reports of several groups of orca in the San Jose del Cabo area the morning of 25th September.
Nikki said: ” Getting an orca call is exciting, and you have to move fast, so when Alex texted me I grabbed my AxisGo housing for iPhone and literally ran to the marina.
“After a quick discussion, our group decided to search for the orcas reported to be in the Sea of Cortez, and in less than an hour found ourselves sharing the water with them.
“I was the last one off the boat and into the water on this jump, which ended up working in my favour as I was able to capture the orca calmly investigating my friends.”
Sea-loving Nikki said she learned to swim before she could walk and has always felt drawn to the water.
She said: ” My first memorable experience was as an eight-year-old snorkelling the reefs in Hawaii. Being underwater has always felt like home to me.”
Nikki shared with Newsflash why she loves being at sea and close to marine life: “There is an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the animal for its willingness to share the space with me, as we rely on the animal to dictate the terms of our encounter.
“And when I have the opportunity to make eye contact, there is a sense of peace and interconnectivity which is impossible to describe.
Nikki has even started a company called ‘Be A Shark’ born out of her love for white sharks.
She said: “‘Be A Shark’ focuses on interactions with marine animals such as great white sharks, blue sharks, mako sharks, and, when we get lucky, orcas.
“Euan Rannachan and I started the company in 2019 with white shark trips to Guadalupe Island, and have since expanded into Baja, California.
“‘Be A Shark’ utilizes our strong social media presence to counteract the negative media so frequently surrounding white sharks and provide a more realistic view of these misunderstood animals.”
