Watch: Orca Pod Investigates Laguna Beach Paddleboarder

Laguna Beach Paddleboarder Rich German got exactly what he was looking for when he chased reports of an orca pod spotted off the Orange County coastline: He got up close and personal with a local pod of Killer whales.

“I have been paddleboarding here off the coast of Laguna for years now pretty much every day, and I’ve had the great privilege of seeing so many different marine animals - multiple species of dolphins, and a whole bunch of different kinds of whales; gray whales, humpback whales, minke whales, fin whales even blue whales. But I have always had this dream to see orcas, and that dream came true a few days ago,” German said in an introduction to a video of the encounter on Youtube.com.

The pod was originally spotted in Long Beach, and German headed south in hopes of intercepting them.

“The truth is I was too excited to be scared,” he said. “At one point you will see me actually drop down to my knees only because I thought that one of the whales was going to knock me off my board, but the reality is there has never been a human being harmed by an orca out in the wild. Here is a chance to see some magical orcas in the wild. Enjoy the video.”

Photo Credit: Youtube screengrab