Brian Rogers Marine Musing www.sunlive.co.nz

The large number of orca currently around the Bay and Coromandel harbours are munching on stingrays. We can expect to see more, the ‘whale-huggers' tell us.

Bring it on, I say.

There seems to be more than enough stingrays around in recent years so anything keen enough to chew on them is most welcome. Especially from a kayak perspective, when paddling shallow harbours to find there's only a few millimetres of Kevlar separating the fleshy bits of one's anatomy from the flailing barb of a startled ray.

The orca have been hunting the shallows in highly impressive style, cornering rays and in some cases, turning the water red with blood as they gorge themselves on the delicacy.

On some occasions the orca toss the rays through the air like frisbees. Obviously their parents haven't told them not to play with their food.

We've had many reports here at Waterline from local boaties who have enjoyed close encounters with orca.

Our most recent episode was in Whitianga when a pod with a striking resemblance to the Tauranga orca, rocked into the upper harbour. They were working the channel edges, systematically rounding up rays from both sides of the mudflats.

The pod surrounded our boat as we cruised along at 5-10 knots and we quickly realised they weren't just being sociable – they were using the boat as part of the mealtime strategy. The orca were picking off the rays that flitted out from under the boat.

Back at the bay on the opposite side of the harbour, we observed 40-50 rays packed into the shallows, some with their backs nearly out of the water as they crammed to keep out of the voracious jaws hunting them.

Talk about some nervous looking animals.

The next day on a dive trip out in Mercury Bay we witnessed many more stingrays and eagle rays tucked into shallows. Clearly the message was out, the orca are in town.

While they are not any threat to humans, it was still a little unnerving, diving in waters where some of the inhabitants were looking nervously over their shoulders.

Whale experts tell us there will be more appearing in a harbour near you in coming weeks.