Overview

• A group floating off Gambier Island on Saturday saw six or seven orcas swim directly toward their boats and inflatables.
• Video shows fin and tail slaps with juveniles porpoising during the roughly 10-minute encounter.
• Swimmers climbed out as the whales lingered nearby, giving the group what one participant called a “front-row seat.”
• The Department of Fisheries says vessels must remain 400 metres from orcas in Howe Sound, with boats kept out of gear if whales close the distance.
• An eyewitness believes the stationary, engines-off boats may have influenced the approach, and no injuries or enforcement actions were reported.