‘Breathtaking’; Whale watching crew captures orca punting seal off Vancouver Island coast

Five Star Whale Watching / Facebook
A whale-watching expedition just south of Sidney Island got a once in a lifetime show over the weekend, witnessing a male orca punt a seal.

A whale-watching expedition just south of Sidney Island got a once in a lifetime show over the weekend.

While out viewing the T10’s transient orcas, a group with Five Star Whale Watching witnessed some uncommon orca behaviour.

The group was out on Sunday afternoon and at around 3 p.m., they saw a young male orca launching a hapless seal into the air.

The company posted a photo to its Facebook page, snapped by a member of the Five Star Whale Watching crew, that showcased the moment – including the sheer height that the seal was sent into the air.

In the post, Five Star Whale Watching described the sight as “breathtaking.”

“It was an unbelievable sight and showed the power and skill of these apex predators,” reads the post.

Five Star Whale Watching told CHEK News that this type of behaviour is incredibly rare.

The organization hypothesized that the young whale could have been testing out its strength or potentially showing off to the rest of the T10 pod.

Although the moment happened extremely quickly, the cameras were ready.
The seal was unable to survive the velocity and height that it was punted by the young whale.
Graham Cox

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