Once Craig Hunter paddled past the breakers just off the coast of New Zealand’s North Island, he discovered he wasn’t alone. A killer whale was in the water with him, a situation that would send most surfers right back to shore. Craig said the surf was too good to miss out on, though, and he surfed for 45 minutes alongside the giant Orca. Unbeknownst to Craig, he was also surfing with two young calves.

It turns out that this Orca is a regular in these waters and paid little attention to any of the surfers in the area. Craig has been surfing these waters for nearly 50 years and told reporters, “There was no way I was not going in because the waves were too good. I was out there on my own for a while and big fella was just cruising. It was really neat.”