Group has close encounter with shore-skimming orca pod in B.C.
2022. 9. 3. 21:54ㆍ■ 자연 환경/동물 새
Group has close encounter with shore-skimming orca pod in B.C. (msn.com)
Group has close encounter with shore-skimming orca pod in B.C.
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QUADRA ISLAND — A pod of orcas surprised a group of friends visiting Quadra Island, British Columbia, last weekend, appearing metres from where they stood on the waterline of Moulds Bay.
Group has close encounter with shore-skimming orca pod in B.C.© Provided by The Canadian Press
The shore-skimming encounter prompted one marine mammal expert to warn that observers should not to get too close to such behaviour.
"They're on the hunt. We can observe it, we just can't be a part of it," said Andrew Trites, professor and director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia, on Friday.
Erika van Sittert, who captured a video of the encounter, said she and her four friends were excited when they first spotted the pod in the distance.
She said they were then shocked when the whales appeared about 20 minutes later, coming within three metres of her friend Callum MacNab, standing ankle-deep in the water.
Van Sittert, who had been seated on a rock above, said she was initially worried for MacNab's safety because of the whales' high-speed approach, but describes the encounter as "easily one of the most exciting moments" of her life.
"I was mostly in awe. I didn't expect that to happen. I used to work in whale watching and I've had some encounters, but nothing quite like that," she said in an interview Friday. "It was just incredible."
She said the group is now considering getting matching orca tattoos to commemorate the experience.
Jared Towers, a killer whale researcher with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, identified the pod as the T-090 family, which includes a mother, her adult son and two daughters.
Related video: Watch: Boater Almost Touches Orca's Fin During Encounter Off Quebec Coast
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