But suddenly, the small pod popped up about 100 metres from them.
Marlborough Sounds Adventure Co
An orca got so close, it dived under the kayak just in time.
“It was a pure fluke, we were in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“We had probably about 10 minutes, where they didn’t seem to be taking any notice of us. They were milling around the same sort of area that we were, they were backwards and forwards and upwards and down.”
Watson said the moment was “pretty special”, as one of the orcas swam right up to the group, diving under a kayak just in time.