A group of boaters who found themselves caught between fleeing sea lions and attacking orcas off the B.C. coast this week managed to capture the once-in-a-lifetime encounter on video.
Travis Twizell was on a chartered fishing boat with his family near Prince Rupert Wednesday when they spotted a group of sea lions in the water.
It wasn’t until they stopped the boat to take in the view that they realized the sea lions weren’t alone.
“We noticed the killer whales around and then the sea lions moved toward us and they all just started circling,” Twizell said.
The sea lions seemed to be using the vessel to avoid the massive predators, though the maneuver didn’t stop the orcas from striking.
“Killer whales were right beside you. A few times there when they jumped you could have reached out and touched them,” Twizell said.
The stunned onlookers said they were too amazed by the experience to feel afraid.
“Everybody was just in awe, it was just unbelievable.”
The Vancouver Aquarium’s Cetacean Sightings Network, which is monitoring sightings along the B.C. coastline, said the boaters witnessed a rare treat.
“Killer whales prey on sea lions very regularly but to be able to see it so closely is quite unusual,” Caitlin Birdsall said.
Anyone who spots a whale, dolphin, porpoise or sea turtle off the coast is asked to report it at 1-866-I-SAW-ONE or online.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s St. John Alexander
