Today was one of the top adventures of all time out there! We were heading for a report and came across the T137's hunting near the Port of Vancouver, five miles shy of our destination. Of course we stopped to identify them and observe them, and we are so glad we had this chance meeting! They were actively hunting a harbor porpoise, which they caught and ate right when we arrived on scene. Then they noticed a harbor seal in the water nearby.
Catch the full video here:
What happened next was extraordinary.
It should be noted, the boat featured in the photos featured below was NOT inappropriately close to the killer whales. The seal dove down and popped up unexpectedly, and the orcas followed, surprising us all. Everyone acted in accordance with the law for this scenario.
The harbor seal leapt up onto the back of the boat, tucking himself in as far as he could.
It was fascinating to watch the killer whales attempt to solve the puzzle. They circled around, tried to intimidate the seal into moving by lifting their heads and making eye contact. The female even tried to stick her head into the narrow area and grab the seal.
My favorite part about this photo is the oblivious passengers on board!
The seal was soon startled off its perch and they worked together as a pack to catch him.
What followed was a post-prandial celebration! We really were in the right place at the right time today!
T137A, "Jack" breaches in celebration
The tail slaps, pectoral slaps and breaching attracted those other two pods of orcas that were reported to be a few miles north of us. Soon we were joined by the T035's and the T038A's!
Thank you for joining us!
Photos by Liberty
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