Seal hitches lift on boat to escape killer whales

A seal off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada had a lucky escape when it took advantage of a nearby boat.

Nick Templeman runs Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions and was taking a group out on his boat to try and find some killer whales that Nick knew would be passing through.

They came upon a pod of about 12 whales and noticed they had the sights set on a seal.

"This seal was tossed around a few times and taken under quite a bit before seeking refuge among the boats in the area," Templeman said. "He got close enough to see us and beelined for the boat."

The seal hopped on board and Nick got the moment on camera.

"He was on and off the swim grid (on the boat) two times during the encounter," said Templeman,

And the whales didn't want to give up.

"The orcas kept sounding and coming up right behind the boat, searching."

But in the end, the seal survived, after a 45 minute ordeal.

"It was an amazing and intense encounter — the seal is the survivor," he said.