BURGEO, N.L. -- A father-daughter fishing trip had an unexpected brush with danger when the family's boat was encircled by a pack of killer whales off Newfoundland.
Norm Strickland was cod fishing with his daughter, Elizabeth, and his dog near Burgeo on Saturday when he spotted an unusual tall, black fin around 45 metres away.
The 67-year-old retired fisherman had never seen an orca in East Coast waters, and suddenly, five or six of them were nudging his 5.5-metre boat.
At first, Strickland thought the orcas were being playful, but as the boat swayed back and forth, he started to worry what would happen if he landed in the water.
His dog, Sadie, tried to protect her owners by baring her teeth and barking at the sea predators.
Surrounded on all sides, Strickland steered his boat toward the shore until the orcas finally lost interest.
After recovering from the half-hour encounter, Strickland and his daughter sailed out for another area but didn't manage to catch any cod.
