VancouverMETRO VANCOUVER NEWS
Video captures close orca encounter off West Vancouver
A West Vancouver fisherman recorded three orcas surfacing metres away, as Transport Canada reminds all vessels to keep 1,000 metres from southern resident killer whales.
A fishing trip at West Vancouver’s Sunset Marina turned into an extended orca encounter for Jhordan Stevenson on Friday afternoon.
Stevenson told CTV News that three orcas surfaced only metres away and remained in the area for nearly an hour. Video he shared online has drawn tens of thousands of Instagram views.
The sighting comes under stricter federal protection rules for southern resident killer whales. Since June 1, Transport Canada has required all vessels to remain at least 1,000 metres away from the endangered whales in southern B.C. coastal waters, including the Strait of Georgia, the Juan de Fuca Strait and waters off Vancouver Island.
The rule applies beyond motorized boats. The required distance replaced a previous 400-metre limit, and a paddleboarder was fined last year after getting too close to a southern resident killer whale.