A seal escaped the jaws of hungry orcas by hitching a ride on a nearby tourist vessel on July 1, and the encounter was caught on video.

Several transient orcas were hunting the harbour seal in Frederick Arm, an inlet located about 1.5 hours north of Campbell River by boat, when the savvy animal swam up to the boat and climbed aboard.

Footage provided by Pacific Yellowfin Charters shows the worried-looking animal hiding behind the boat香蕉视频直播檚 outboard motor on the swim grid, a low platform at the stern of the vessel.

The clever seal occasionally glances up at the humans aboard the 26-foot fishing boat. But it香蕉视频直播檚 mostly focused on its hungry hunters, which circulate below and breach menacingly just meters away.

Colin Griffinson, captain of a 香蕉视频直播渓uxury expedition香蕉视频直播� ship called the Pacific Yellowfin, said that crew members were going ashore in their smaller craft, the Yellowfin Swan, when they observed the pod of whales attacking a seal.

The melee continued for some time without a kill, and the seal made a break for it.

香蕉视频直播淗e got away and just came bee-lining for our boat, from about 150 feet away,香蕉视频直播� he said. Sure enough, the animal climbed aboard the Swan and lived to see another day.

The animal now has a name: Lucky.

香蕉视频直播淲e said, what will we call the seal if we actually ended up keeping it?香蕉视频直播� said Griffinson. 香蕉视频直播淲e just joked that we香蕉视频直播檇 call it Lucky.香蕉视频直播�

He described it as a 香蕉视频直播渂ig, fat seal香蕉视频直播� and a 香蕉视频直播渧ery healthy animal.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淢aybe that香蕉视频直播檚 why they didn香蕉视频直播檛 kill it so easy,香蕉视频直播� he said.

香蕉视频直播淚t was a prime seal香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播渙bviously it had some smarts because it survived this far,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Griffinson stressed that he didn香蕉视频直播檛 intend to interfere with the hunt. Indeed, the crew was 香蕉视频直播渓ooking forward to seeing a kill,香蕉视频直播� he said.

It was the first time an animal had actually jumped aboard one of his vessels, Griffinson said.

To deal with the situation, he consulted with Nick Templeman, who was also on the scene, observing the orcas on another vessel with a whale researcher.

Templeman, owner-operator of Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions, had experienced this kind of thing before. A seal jumped onto his boat in 2017. He also witnessed a seal leaping into someone香蕉视频直播檚 Zodiac last year, he said.

Both seafarers said they weren香蕉视频直播檛 worried the orcas would flip the Swan in pursuit of their prey.

香蕉视频直播淭he orcas know what they香蕉视频直播檙e doing,香蕉视频直播� said Templeman, saying the whales are too intelligent to recklessly destroy a boat for a snack.

Griffinson also said that in his many encounters with orcas during fishing trips, whales have never interfered with his equipment.

The whole encounter unf0lded over the course of 30-45 minutes. And while the seal held on for dear life, the whales also hung around.

香蕉视频直播淭hey continue[d] to look and wait for that seal,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Griffinson eventually navigated away from the scene. But even after some gentle prodding with a pole, the seal wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 disembark.

香蕉视频直播淲e did give it a push at one point in time, but it just got back on again,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淲e decided that the seal had had a tough enough day and we weren香蕉视频直播檛 going to bug it anymore.香蕉视频直播�

The crew opted to leave the seal aboard the boat at the dock. But as they entered the shallows, near a spot where the seals haul out, Lucky slipped away.

香蕉视频直播淗e obviously recognized the place,香蕉视频直播� Griffinson. 香蕉视频直播淗e just jumped off.香蕉视频直播�