Kayleigh Nicole Grant detailed an unforgettable dive with a pod of orca whales, describing what it was like to swim close to the giant animals underwater
The professional diver explained how the whales were hunting and had just killed their catch, which she saw in their mouths as they swam near her
Grant said it was “some of the best 30 seconds of her life in the ocean” while looking back on her interaction with the whales
Kayleigh Nicole Grant had a once-in-a-lifetime underwater encounter.
The professional ocean diver detailed an unforgettable interaction with a pod of orca whales in a recent video shared on Instagram, revealing what exactly she saw during an up close encounter with the large animals during one of her deep sea explorations.
“This was some of the best 30 seconds of my life in the ocean. As this pod of orcas passed us, we could see that they were eating something they had killed,” she narrates over the video clip as it’s happening.
“I couldn’t believe what happened next as this orca turned toward me to show off their catch,” she continues in the post. “Predators works so hard for their food and you can tell that they’re grateful and proud for every meal that they get.”
Grant said the orca came “so close” that she could “see its teeth;” however, she wasn’t overcome with fear.
“It wasn’t scary, more just impressive,” she says. “The orcas share their prey, so everybody had a little bite. Sharing food reinforces their bond and helps them teach their young.”
The diver concluded, “It was truly a magnificent moment to witness.”
“It came so close I could see its teeth, but it wasn’t scary.
In her caption, Grant — who has a Bachelor of Science in Ecotourism, completed the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawaii and an online shark specialty course with Queensland University and Cornell University — explained further why orcas hunt together and share their food.
View this post on Instagram
“Orcas don’t just hunt together, they share their food too. These intelligent apex predators have been seen dividing prey among pod members and even offering leftovers to humans,” she began.
“In a recent article by @bbcwildlifemagazine researchers documented 34 instances where orcas deliberately offered prey (fish, stingrays, even seaweed and turtles) to humans across six different populations!” Grant continued in her caption.
“Sharing food is a way to build their relationships and may be just out of concern for another’s well being. In this video it felt like the orcas were showing me their food rather than offering it but knowing their concern for others always reminds me how deeply profound their relationships are,” she concluded.
As part of her diving and ocean conservation work, Grant — who is known as “mermaid.kayleigh” online — shares mesmerizing and educational content across Instagram and TikTok, teaching her nearly 3 million followers about the behaviors of the creatures who reside in our underwater world.
Grant is also the founder, captain and lead safety diver of Kaimana Ocean Safari, an ocean adventure company that brings guests off the West Coast of the Big Island in Hawaii to observe and potentially interact with sea turtles, dolphins, manta rays, sharks, whales and fish around the coral reefs.
A Pennsylvania native, Grant grew up outside of Philadelphia with a passion and longing for the ocean and curiosity of its inhabitants, per her bio on site. Since her move to Hawaii 12 years ago, she’s broadened her knowledge on safety and sharks on the North Shore of O’ahu.
“Kay is passionate about connecting people to the ocean in a deeper way and inspiring others to change their daily habits to better benefit the natural world,” her bio reads.
Recently, professional underwater photographer Jono Allen spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about his unimaginable interaction with a mother humpback whale.
“I was swimming in the water and this mother humpback saw me and thought that was something wrong, and she came over to me and started trying to lift me up out of the water so I could breathe,” he told PEOPLE exclusively, explaining how she used her rostrum to help with the boost.
The mother humpback whale likely reacted that way towards Allen because “they do it with their calves,” he explained, adding. “When their calves are born, they can’t swim, so they lift them up to breathe.”
As much as Allen “would’ve loved” for the mother humpback whale to follow through with her intention, he didn’t allow it to happen for the safety and protection of the animal. “I just couldn’t do it,” he said with the respect of the whale in mind.
The PEOPLE App is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!
Allen, similar to Grant, described his deep passion for the ocean and hard-to-describe connection with whales.
“It just rises up and just takes this massive breath, and I just start bawling my eyes out,” he recalled of his first dive with the massive species. “And from that moment onwards, I knew that I wanted to spend every single life minute that I had swimming with whales in the ocean.”
