B.C. seal escapes orca attack by hitching ride on boats

VICTORIA — A lucky harbour seal escaped from a group of transient killer whales by jumping onto two boats in the Juan de Fuca Strait.


Valerie Shore was on a whale-watching tour Saturday afternoon when she saw the whales circling another boat.
“There was a harbour seal that had jumped on the outboard. Up to eight whales were circling the boat,” she said.
The Victoria Clipper ferry had also stopped to watch the whales.
When it appeared the predators had given up, the seal hopped back into the ocean.
But the orcas were soon in pursuit, tossing the seal in the air and pulling it under the water.
“It was very quick. We thought, ‘This is over, that seal is dead,’ ” Shore said. “Then we noticed the whales circling the Clipper.”
The savvy seal had lodged itself on a jet at the back of the ferry, eluding the orcas once again.
“It was not going anywhere.”
Victoria Times Colonist