Commuters travelling on a BC Ferry on Christmas Eve weren’t the only ones heading home for the holidays.
On a 2 p.m. sailing between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, ferry passengers were given a show as a group of Orca whales began swimming beside the ship in the Active Pass strait.
“Kinda awesome to see these #orcas…” said the video uploader, Rishi Sharma.
Kinda awesome to see these #orcas in #activepass #yvr #yyj @BCFerries pic.twitter.com/9pwiWtV2ie
— Rishi Sharma (@Rishi_ss) December 24, 2018
While it’s unclear which type of orcas these are, Southern Resident Killer Whales are the most common near our shores.
Last month, the federal government announced it would be spending $61.5 million to help protect the critically endangered local whales.
Earlier this summer, three orca visits to Vancouver Island were captured on video. One video was taken in Oak Bay near Willows beach, when a pod of orcas hunted a seal right beside a boat, and two were filmed in Victoria’s downtown inner harbour.