A pod of orcas came so close to shore at a Sidney, B.C., jetty, that witnesses could see the full scale and speed of the massive marine mammals as they hunted seals. Noah Holler and Kevin Morgan were walking down the Sidney Ocean Science Coast Guard Jetty after leaving a ship when the pod appeared. They counted roughly six to eight orcas. Then the whales started hunting. “We weren’t too sure what we were about to see,” Holler said. The answer quickly became clear as the orcas began working together, chasing seals around the logs near the jetty. At times, the animals came within just 10 to 15 feet of the rocks where Holler and Morgan were standing. “Holy s**t,” Holler said. “It was crazy.” “It was just incredible to seeing that size of an animal moving that fast and that close. I said a few times, ‘I don’t think we’ll ever see this again in our lives,’” said Kevin Morgan. The encounter was remarkable not only because of how close the whales came, but because of what the witnesses were able to see from shore. The pod appeared to co-ordinate its movements as it pursued the seals, with the orcas occasionally pushing close to the shoreline. Holler said the behaviour reminded him of scenes from nature documentaries in the Arctic, showing orcas working together to create waves and knock seals from floating ice. “That was crazy to watch and witness them working together, to knock the seals off the logs, “Holler said. Holler began recording as soon as he realized something remarkable was unfolding. The video captures the orcas moving through the water just offshore, offering a rare perspective on the animals as they hunted in the confined waters beside the jetty. The pod remained in the area for about 20 minutes. As word spread, people gathered. “There were people in buildings and on the ships that were nearby that all came,” Morgan said. “Everybody’s reaction was the same. Everybody was just fascinated with what was happening.” For Holler, the experience was unlike any whale encounter he had experienced before. He has seen whales in the past, but never at anything this close. “Probably the best interaction I’ve ever had with wildlife ever,” Holler said. He said the orcas would chase the seals, then suddenly sweep toward shore, giving the witnesses an unmistakable sense of just how large and powerful they are. “I’ve been thinking about it since it happened and rewatching the videos a bunch of times as well. It was an incredible moment,” Morgan said. After the pod moved on, the video remains an extraordinary memory of the day orcas turned a quiet Sidney jetty into the front row seat to a hunt.
