A rare pod of killer whales were spotted this week in the waters off Churchill.
The sighting happened in the afternoon of Tuesday Sept. 2, during high tide, said Dwight Allen, co-owner of Sea North Tours.
He said he and his son had heard the whales were in the area and decided set out and find them, but had no idea how close they would get.
“We were in awe,” said Allen. “I’m not going to lie, I was a little scared when I realized how big they really are.”
They followed the whales to a place called Button Bay and a short time later, noticed blood trails from an orca eating a beluga whale.
Next he said he could the smell the scent of blubber. “It was amazing how fast these killer whales are. It did not take him long to take down a beluga whale," he said.
“I can understand now why they call them the wolves of the sea and earned the name killer whales”
In the last eight years, orcas have been spotted off and on, but typically the waters off Churchill are considered too cold for the whales, Allen said.
He says he got close enough to hear the whales exhaling. “To be honest it was a bit nerve racking, but a great experience.”
