Orca hit by yacht unharmed

By ANNE BESTON

An orca hit by a yacht near the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Sunday was apparently unhurt, say Department of Conservation staff.

The Coast Guard tracked the orca for an hour and a half after the accident as it made its way with its pod back out to sea.

DoC officer Karl McLeod said the crew of the yacht that hit the whale and capsized were taken by surprise when the orca surfaced underneath the hull.

"We gather it was purely accidental."

Dolphin Explorer skipper Keith Algie, who watched the drama unfold from his boat, said both whale and boaties got a big fright.

"It was a shock for all."

Mr Algie checked the water for signs of blood or disorientation in the female orca but said it appeared to be swimming normally after the accident.

Mr McLeod said three pods of killer whales were in the harbour at the weekend, an amazing number given that just 200 of the mammals lived permanently around the New Zealand coast.

Mr Algie said that with the big numbers of weekend sailors on the harbour and the confusion boat engines caused to orcas' echo navigation systems, it was lucky that no other accidents were reported.