Being in the right place at the right time can change everything. For one harbor seal off the coast of Washington state, it meant the difference between life and death.
Earlier this week, a stranded seal got a lifeline when he spotted a boat carrying Smith Siromaskul, his wife, Terese Drummond, and their friend, Charvet Drucker, in Puget Sound. The trio of amateur wildlife photographers had set out that day hoping to spot some orcas. But when they encountered a pod near Rocky Point, they found themselves in the midst of a high stakes pursuit.
Charvet Drucker @charvetd_photography
“They were definitely chasing something,” Siromaskul told The Dodo. “Then we saw something get launched out of the water.”
That airborne something was a seal.
“The seal was being used as hunting practice for the younger orcas in the pod,” Drucker told The Dodo.
Charvet Drucker @charvetd_photography
The group watched for about 45 minutes, cringing at times, as the pod hunted the seal.
“It’s incredible to have the opportunity to watch whale behavior, and the orca needed to eat, but at the same time, you feel for this seal,” Siromaskul said. “We wanted to yell to him, ‘Hey! Get up here!’ But we didn’t want to scare him off.”
Charvet Drucker @charvetd_photography
Suddenly, the splashing stopped. The orcas seemed to grow tired of the chase and began closing in on the seal. And that’s when the little animal beelined toward the photographers’ boat, jumping aboard just in time.
You can watch that moment here:
The whales headed straight for the boat. Siromaskul had to cut the engine so the propeller would not injure the marine mammals.
“In that moment, I was in absolute awe of being so close to the seal and multiple orcas, but I was scared for our little seal friend,” Drucker said.
“The orca realized, ‘OK, they have the seal,’” Siromaskul said. “We could see their heads popping up and eyeballing the boat. The seal is looking at us, looking at the water, and the whales are looking at us, looking at the seal.”
Then, in a suspense-filled moment, the seal slipped off the boat and back into the water.
Smith Siromaskul
“I thought, ‘No! No! No!’ But I was trying to be quiet so I didn’t scare the seal away,” Siromaskul said.
The seal jumped back onto the boat, only to fall off again and jump back on. That’s when the pod of apex predators changed their strategy. “The whales did this coordinated movement on the surface to try to generate a wave, and that wave made him slip and fall again,” Siromaskul said.
Miraculously, the seal not only made it back to the boat a third time, but had outsmarted the orcas, too.
“He pawed his way up onto the engine and managed to get himself up onto the back seat,” Siromaskul said. “After a little while, he felt safe with us. He waddled over to the side so he could see overboard, and sat there.”
Smith Siromaskul
The orcas didn’t give up easily; they circled and swam under the boat for 20 minutes. Finally, the whales seemed to realize it was game over and swam off.
“I’ve been asked a few times if we were scared, and the answer is, ‘No,’” Drucker said. “Orcas are extremely intelligent and wanted nothing to do with us or the boat.”
Charvet Drucker @charvetd_photography
The seal was so exhausted and relieved that he fell asleep.
“We got through the whole, ‘Oh my god, there’s a seal on board phase,’” Siromaskul said. “Now it was, ‘How is this gonna play out? What’s the end game? I can’t touch him. I can’t move him. I’m not going to shove him overboard.’”
Smith Siromaskul
Now the boat had an unexpected fourth passenger, and the human crew faced a dilemma: What should they do?
Siromaskul began texting whale experts and conservation groups for guidance. After getting some advice, Siromaskul flipped on the engine and started heading toward the shore — but the seal kept snoozing.
Smith Siromaskul
“Finally, he woke up, sniffed the air, looked around, sniffed the air again. It was like the seal was sensing if it was safe,” Siromaskul said.
Siromaskul slowed the boat, and the seal jumped in the water and disappeared. The crew couldn’t believe what they’d just witnessed.
“It was one of the most incredible experiences I’m ever going to have. It was the encounter of a lifetime,” Siromaskul said.
“You see these kinds of experiences on social media, but never expect it to happen to you,” Drucker said. “It was a truly unforgettable experience and I’m so happy it ended the way it did.”
Good thing they had their cameras ready.
