One Tauranga family has been treated to a rare sight after seeing some orca playing the shallows on Omanu Beach.

Barbara Young was with her family when they saw the orca on Sunday afternoon.

Photos sent to SunLive show the orca swimming in the break waves near the shoreline of the Tauranga beach.

Barbara says she has lived in the Mount for 18 years and has heard lots of stories about orca sightings, but has never actually seen any herself.

She says it was “so very thrilling, but also a bit nerve wracking watching the whales approaching surfer”.

Barbara says the surfer seemed to be unaware of how close to the orca they were.

She say one of the photos “shows him paddling as fast as he can to shore”.

Orca typically come into the harbour to feed, particularly on stingrays.

Whilst orca are impressive animals, the Department of Conservation do have some important advice regarding how people should interact with them if they come into contact.

Vessels should not be within 50m of a killer whale. No more than three vessels should be within 300m of any marine mammal.

Your vessel should approach orca from behind and to the side, do not circle them, obstruct their path or cut through any group.

Operate your boat slowly and quietly at 'no wake' speed when within 300m of a killer whale and you should avoid sudden noises that could startle the animals.

Sightings of orca can be reported to the DOC by calling 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468), or by filling out an online form. Sightings are always of interest and help increase the DOC's knowledge of cetacean distribution and movements around New Zealand.