In a heart-stopping wildlife encounter off the coast of Seattle, a harbour seal made a desperate leap onto a boat to escape certain death from a pod of hunting killer whales. The dramatic incident, captured on camera by a local wildlife photographer, shows nature's raw intensity and a remarkable survival story.
The Hunt Begins
Wildlife photographer Charvet Drucker was aboard a rented 20-foot boat near her home on an island in the Salish Sea, approximately 40 miles northwest of Seattle, when she spotted the unfolding drama. She observed at least eight killer whales, known as orcas, moving with coordinated precision that immediately suggested they were hunting.
Drucker quickly trained her zoom lens on the water and identified their target: a harbour seal desperately trying to flee the advancing predators. The orcas used tail slaps and strategic movements to corner their prey, creating a frothing maelstrom in the water as they closed in.
A Desperate Escape
One of Drucker's photographs captured the seal flying through the air above the chaotic scene of orcas churning the water. Initially, she believed she was witnessing the seal's final moments. However, as the pod drew closer to her boat, she realised the hunt was still ongoing.
In a stunning turn of events, the seal clambered out of the water and onto the boat's swimming platform near the motor, effectively claiming the vessel as an impromptu life raft. The crew had previously cut the engine in compliance with wildlife boating regulations to prevent harming the whales.
"You poor thing," Drucker can be heard saying in her video footage as the seal looks up at her. "You're good, just stay, buddy." Wildlife regulations prohibit touching or interfering with seals, so the photographer began documenting the extraordinary encounter instead.
The Orcas' Strategic Response
The killer whales didn't abandon their hunt easily. They employed a sophisticated hunting technique known as 'wave-washing', which has been documented by scientists since at least the 1980s according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Drucker's cellphone video shows the orcas lining up and executing staggered dives to create waves that rocked the boat, attempting to dislodge their prey. The seal slid off the platform at least once during this coordinated assault but managed to scramble back to safety each time.
After approximately 15 minutes of persistent effort, the orcas eventually abandoned their pursuit and swam away, leaving the exhausted but alive seal on the boat.
Understanding the Predators
The killer whales involved in this encounter belong to the Bigg's or 'transient' orcas population that hunts seals and various marine animals in the Pacific Northwest region. According to NOAA, these particular orcas are generally better fed than their salmon-focused 'resident' counterparts, some of which appear on the endangered species list.
Drucker, who has previously photographed dead seals in orcas' mouths, expressed her mixed feelings about the encounter. "I'm definitely Team Orca, all day, every day. But once that seal was on the boat, I kind of turned (into) Team Seal," she revealed in a recent interview.
The incident occurred in the Saratoga Passage between Camano and Whidbey Island north of Seattle on Sunday, November 2, 2025, serving as a powerful reminder of the complex relationships between predators and prey in marine ecosystems.
