A short pleasure cruise off Oak Bay took a dramatic turn Friday (Aug. 24) as a group of friends found themselves in the midst of a feeding frenzy between a pod of orcas and a seal.
The boaters were split on whether it was a nightmare or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I was incredibly stoked to have these beautiful mammals surprise us with their presence off the coast of Victoria, but I’m not sure I can say the same for some of my friends,” Riley Sharko shared under her video footage of the event.
Sharko was on the front of the boat around 5 p.m. just off Willows Beach when the orcas passed right beside the boat, pulling the seal under as they passed.
Screams and shrieks can be heard throughout the video, some originating from Sharko’s friend Sydney Romanyshyn, a server at Victoria Golf Club.
“I was terrified. Orcas have been an irrational fear of mine since I was a kid and I was pretty scared – as I’m sure you can tell from the commentary on the video,” said Romanyshyn.
The boat ride was meant to be one last trip on the ocean for Romanyshyn, who is moving to Calgary this week for school.
”It was a pretty good send off from BC!” said Romanyshyn.
keri.coles@oakbaynews.com
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