Ocean brawlers: Whale watchers get rare view of orcas and humpbacks fighting in Salish Sea [View all]

Members of the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) caught a rare view of aggressive activity between two giants of the sea on Thursday, when a large group of transient Bigg's orcas squared off with a pair of humpback whales over the course of a few hours.

Capt. Joe Zelwietro of Eagle Wing Tours spotted a group of about 15 killer whales being "unusually active" in the Juan de Fuca Strait, a stretch of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and Washington state, shortly after 11 a.m. PT, the PWWA said.

A few minutes later, Capt. Jimmy Zakreski of B.C. Whale Tours noticed there were two humpback whales in the middle of the group of orcas, the association said.

"Around these parts, it's very common for us to encounter orcas. It's also very common for us to encounter humpbacks," said PWWA executive director Erin Gless in an interview.

"It is not very common for us to encounter them in the middle of a brawl."


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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/salish-sea-whale-fight-1.6602134