Orcas, also known as killer whales, are one of the most charismatic and fascinating marine animals despite being powerful apex predators. These sea creatures are highly intelligent and social that use complex hunting techniques to take down their prey, like sea lions, humpback whales, and even great white sharks.
In the past years, there has been an increase in orca-human interactions in which some of them were reportedly bumping the sailboats. But another case of orca-human interaction was filmed off the coast of Quebec when a Canadian family of boaters had a close-up experience with a pod of killer whales that surrounded them and acted curious and friendly while swimming next to their boat.
Pod of Orcas Filmed Swimming So Close to a Family of Boaters in Canada
Close Interaction With Orcas
On August 26, a family captured on film the orcas swimming next to them in the waters near Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, and shared it on TikTok.
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Chanel Nadeau Beaudoin, who posted the video, told news outlet Storyful that the orcas were acting curious and friendly and came to each side of their boat. Having grown next to these creatures, Beaudoin said that they are aware that orcas do not pose any harm.
Deborah Giles, the science and research director for the non-profit Wild Orca in Washington, previously told Newsweek that there are places in the world where people are in the water with orcas, yet the killer whales never touch them. It is like one of life's mysteries that perhaps will never be answered because they cannot talk.
In the video, Beaudoin shows the moment her father almost touched one of the fins of the whales as their family continued to sail. She told Storyful that she was out with her father, nephew, and niece when the whales suddenly came up to them and surrounded the boat. Fortunately, killer whales rarely attack humans despite being dubbed "killer whales."
Orcas Do Not Attack Humans
Killer whales are not considered life-threatening or dangerous to humans and have been known to attack humans on rare occasions, according to Whale Facts. But experts still advise not to interact with them unless supervised by a professional in a controlled environment.
Experts believe that killer whales do not eat humans because the latter are not appetizing enough, and they do not have the desire to attack humans is a good thing. Unlike sharks, orcas do not attack humans unless they feel threatened, and there have been no known cases of a human being eaten by a killer whale.
They are mostly considered amiable animals and even the main attraction at several marine parks, bringing thousands of spectators yearly to watch them perform amazing tricks that make them a popular crowd-pleaser at aquatic shows.
They were named "killer whales" because they are the largest known dolphin species with highly complex team-oriented hunting techniques. Sometimes they are referred to as the wolves of the sea based on how they hunt for food.
They use echolocation to locate food sources and are known to eat everything from fish, squid, penguins, sea lions, and even other whales. When not hunting, they are known to rest, socialize, and travel with family.
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