To answer the first question, are killer whales dangerous, they actually aren't! Or at least to humans, usually. Although you should still be cautious, there has only been one instance of a killer whale attacking a person in the wild –with no instances of a wild orca killing a human.

Generally, wild orcas are remarkably peaceful toward humans, and there has never been a documented fatal attack by a wild orca on a person. Despite being apex predators capable of killing Great White sharks, they seem to view humans as "non-prey" or perhaps even with a degree of curiosity. There are numerous reports of orcas approaching swimmers or kayakers without aggression. However, "nice" is a subjective term; in recent years (2023–2026), a specific sub-population of orcas near the Strait of Gibraltar has gained fame for interacting with and damaging sailboats, though scientists believe this is "playful" or social behavior rather than a direct attack on people. While wild orcas are safe to observe from a distance, they are still multi-ton predators and should be treated with extreme respect. Aggression is almost exclusively seen in captive orcas, likely due to the psychological stress of confinement.