Orcas 'swimming right past' Victoria Inner Harbour delight onlookers
A family of Bigg's killer whales, or transient orcas, were spotted swimming in the Victoria Inner Harbour Friday morning.
The pod of five orcas came into the harbor around 10 a.m., delighting onlookers and causing boats in the harbour to come to a standstill.
A video of the orcas was captured by Orca Spirit Adventures, a whale watching company based out of Victoria.
Hailey Olsen, sales and marketing manager for Spirit Orcas, says she was given a heads up about the whales by one of the company's tour boats.
"So we just popped our heads out of our office here and there they were, five killer whales just swimming right past," she told CTV News.
"Actually, I heard them first. You can hear their spray," she said. "Then I saw them."
'DEFINITELY A TREAT'
The last time Olsen saw orcas in the Inner Harbour was in 2019. While she says it's not unusual to see the marine mammals in the harbour, it's certainly not common either.
"I'd say probably once a year," she said.
Olsen says the pod, which was identified as the T124A family, was likely on the lookout for food.
Biggs killer whales eat other marine mammals, such as seals, which can often be found on shorelines.
"They were in shallow waters closer to the shoreline, that's where they're going to find their food source," she said.
Olsen estimates that the orcas were within 50 metres of her when they swam past, far closer than the minimum 200 metres that whale watching vessels must keep away from orcas at sea.
"So this was definitely a treat to see them this much closer," she said.
'ON MY BUCKET LIST'
Victoria residents Pierre and Wendi Duve were among those delighted to see the orcas swim past Friday morning.
The pair live at Shoal Point, near Fisherman's Wharf, and had always wanted to see orcas in the harbour.
"Seeing killer whales was always on my bucket list," said Pierre.
The couple is selling their home soon, and Pierre was concerned they were going to leave before he had a chance to see orcas in the harbour.
"Two days ago he told me, 'You know, the only thing I really regret is never seeing a killer whale in the harbour,'" Wendi said of her partner.
"Low and behold, this morning I was in the bedroom getting ready for work and I hear, 'Oh my god, you need to come out here, there's killer whales in the harbour!'" she said.
The pair said it was exciting to see the orcas swim by, and that it was nice to see boats in the area stop and give them space.
"Even the Clipper stopped," said Pierre.
"It's mindboggling how lucky we were. And how lucky we are to have this view here in Canada," he added.
On the shore, Olsen says it was nice to see pedestrians stop to take in the moment as well.
"Being able to walk down on the Inner Harbour here and seeing everyone be able to enjoy it is incredible," she said. "It's not often that you see that many [people] congregating in one spot in the harbor."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.