Large group of stingrays surprise paddleboarder off Great Barrier Island

The crystal clear waters of Tryphena Harbour on Great Barrier Island were littered with baby stingrays this morning.

As resident Wendy Parsons set out on her stand up paddleboard around 9.30am she was shocked to discover a large group of the cartilaginous fish bathing in the shallow warm waters.

"I saw about four and thought 'oh wow, there is a little family' and then I looked over and thought 'oh my god there is a bigger family'.

"There was a big patch and they were right under the board, but very peaceful thank goodness," Parsons said.

Over 100 stingrays caught on camera enjoying the shallow waters near Great Barrier Island. Photo / Supplied

"I would say there was over 100 and I actually went out quite deep and I could still see them at 5-6m because it was so crystal clear.

"It was pretty awesome."

As a regular paddle boarder in the area, Parsons said this was only the second time she had ever seen a fever of stingrays.

"I remember about three years ago, in the middle of winter, there was a lot but not altogether in a group like that.

"It was a little bit scary being surrounded by stingrays but most of them were actually quite small, with a few big ones in between," she said.

"I wasn't worried about falling off my board because it was so still, but I have seen them jump out of the water so I was a little bit concerned that one might jump at me."