A man out for an afternoon paddle near Belfair, Wash., found himself surrounded by orcas on Sunday, and figured that the safest way to brave the encounter was with a low center of gravity.
The accompanying footage, captured by T.J. Thomas, shows the unidentified paddlboarder switch to a kneeling position as several orcas approached for a close inspection in Hood Canal.
Thomas, 38, told For The Win Outdoors that the presence of the orcas that far into Hood Canal is somewhat unusual, and that they might have been attracted by a recent abundance of seals.
The paddleboarder can be seen standing when the orcas are distant, but he squats when they’re close, presumably to avoid falling into the water.
Thomas said he counted at least six orcas, or killer whales, while capturing the encounter with his drone.
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Alisa Lemire Brooks, Whale Sighting Network Coordinator for the Orca Network, told For The Win Outdoors that the (Bigg’s) transient killer whales likely belong to a family group cataloged as the T65As.
Transient killer whales, unlike the region’s salmon-eating Southern Resident killer whales, prey on seals and other marine mammals.
Hood Canal is a natural waterway that splinters from – and is part of – Puget Sound. It separates the Kitsap Peninsula and the Olympic Peninsula. Belfair is at the end of Hood Canal.
Brooks said that while Hood Canal is not a top spot for transient killer whale sightings, the Orca Network receives reports from the waterway every year.
In 2018, she said, the T65As spent most of April in Hood Canal. In 2005, she said, a pod of transient orcas spent four months in the canal, feasting on seals.
Thomas said he captured the footage after 3 p.m. from his parents’ house. Thomas also produced a longer YouTube video that includes images captured by his father, Joe.
