Joachim Pierre calls it a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” that he’ll never forget – and it happened in his own backyard
The Sechelt man took his nephew’s family out for a fishing trip Monday, but got more than he bargained for when a pod of six orcas swam directly under their boat.
The group made their final fishing stop of the day near Welcome Passage, just off the Sunshine Coast, when the incredible encounter happened.
“When we dropped our line to fish for some ling cod, and the orcas popped up on the other side of the passage there,” said Pierre.
He said he angled the boat off and shut down the motor to maintain a respectful distance from the approaching pod, but the orcas had other ideas.
“We figured they were gonna pass by us. I don’t know if the boat noise triggered the pod, but they actually switched [on a] 45-degree angle and came straight for my boat,” he said.
The video shows the whales swim right underneath Pierre’s boat and surface on the other side, spouting water into the air.
He said it looked like adult orcas were teaching two young calves how to hunt, and a bald eagle followed the group around, swooping in to pick off any leftovers.
Pierre, who has seen orcas in the water before but never up close, said he was a little frightened at first but mostly “awe-struck.”
His nephew’s young son, who just turned three years old, was similarly enthralled with the passing whales.
“Once in a lifetime,” he said. “I highly doubt I’ll ever get to experience something that exciting ever again.”
