B.C. photographer captures dramatic images of orcas hunting seal near Campbell River
A photographer in Campbell River, B.C., has captured some rare images of a pair of orcas feasting on a seal along the city’s waterfront.
Sheree Adams had been following updates on social media about the latest whale sightings near the city’s waterfront and grabbed her camera Tuesday morning to go for a look.
She says she was thrilled by what she captured.
"There was this little seal there – and we thought a cute little seal – so I picked up my camera to take a picture of him," Adams said. "And this orca came up from underneath and just exploded this seal into the air probably about 50 feet in front of us, maybe less."
She says she felt sorry for the seal but realized she was witnessing "an amazing display of power by this orca right in front of our faces."
Nicky and Ella Smiley, administrators of the Facebook group Comox Valley Wildlife Sightings, say the killer whales were T128, also known as Flotsam, who was born in 1988, and T125A, known as Jetsam and born in 1998.
Smiley says the pair are affectionately known as the "Alaskan Brothers" and have been in the Campbell River-Comox Bay area a lot in the last few weeks.
Sheree Adams photographed a pair of orcas hunting a seal near Campbell River, B.C. (Sheree Adams/Submitted)
"They travel between here and Alaska all the time," Adams said. "They eat seals so I’m pretty sure that was a snack along the way."
Her viewing of the orcas came on a morning she believes there were about 20 orcas from three pods in the area.
Sheree Adams photographed a pair of orcas hunting a seal near Campbell River, B.C. (Sheree Adams/Submitted)
While watching the spectacle, Adams said she met up with a man who was also watching the whales while he was in Campbell River to check it out as a potential community to live in.
Adams said the sighting appeared to clinch his decision to choose Campbell River as his new home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.