Large sea creatures surface next to kayakers in ‘most amazing encounter.’ See the video

Canadian whale enthusiast Sarah Seebach spent months visiting the coastline of British Columbia in the hopes of spotting killer whales.

Finally — during a visit to the waterfront on Seebach’s birthday on April 26 — a pod of orcas surfaced nearby, putting on a once-in-a-life-time display.

Despite a forecast of rain, Seebach and their partner decided to kayak near Whytecliff, a park on the Strait of George, which connects to the Pacific Ocean.

While returning from a “lazy paddle by the shoreline,” the pair noticed a splash close to a nearby whale watching ship.

“We then proceeded to have the most amazing encounter of our lives,” Seebach wrote in an April 26 Facebook post in a local cetacean sightings group, which accumulated hundreds of likes.

In a video posted to the group, three orcas can be seen breaching the surface just feet away from Seebach’s kayak.

One by one, their distinctive fins appeared above the water as they audibly exhaled from their blowholes, shooting droplets into the air.

“Oh my goodness! I can’t believe it…” Seebach said in the video, in which a tour boat full of people can be seen in the background.

“Apologies for the rambling post and over enthusiastic video commentary,” Seebach added. “Best birthday ever!”

McClatchy News has reached out to Seebach for comment.

Killer whales, one of the marine world’s apex predators, are found throughout every ocean, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, though they are composed of several distinct populations.

Some of these populations are currently threatened, including by vessel traffic, contaminants and overfishing, according to the organization.

The coasts of Canada are home to five distinguishable orca populations, some of which number in the double digits or low hundreds, according to the Canadian government.

This story was originally published May 1, 2024 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Large sea creatures surface next to kayakers in ‘most amazing encounter.’ See the video."