A British Columbia woman is relishing a rare encounter with an orca off the coast of Vancouver Island.
Josie Boulding was paddle boarding with her family outside the community of Royston Thursday night when they were treated to a close-up view of a transient orca.
“My heart was just like beating out of my chest because it was so close to me and just enormous,” Boulding told CTV Vancouver Island.
Much of the encounter -- which included the animal breaching -- was captured on video.
The male orca has spent much of the past week in and around the Comox Harbour on Vancouver Island’s eastern coast.
Boulding says the experience “was like winning the lottery.”
“We were pretty excited when we came back home and realized (we) had like totally caught at least half the experience on camera,” she said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver Island’s Gord Kurbis
