Photo: Getty Images
A sea captain in California captured video of a pod of orcas along the San Diego coast, calling his run-in with the aquatic creatures "the holy grail."
Mike Silva, captain of the Nimbus, was on the seas about 35 miles west of Point Loma on Wednesday (May 25) when he noticed a pod of around 12 orcas nearby, per NBC San Diego. Rather than the pod swimming away, they stayed near the boat for about an hour.
"I was pretty much blown away," he said. "These orcas are not shy. They were playing around us, playing around the boat."
Silva shared the stunning video on Instagram, set to the tune of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's rendition of "Over the Rainbow." In the clip, the orcas can be in the waters, fins peak out of the sea as they swim around his boat.
"Today was one of those days I'll always remember," he captioned the video. "These majestic creatures played with us for a solid hour. Unreal."
According to the news outlet, the rare capture has made Silva a bit of a local celebrity as people want to know how they can experience something similar.
"When you see an orca out here, everyone wants to know where, when and how," he said. "They want coordinates."
Silva thinks the orcas that swam near his boat were younger orcas having some fun while the older creatures watched nearby. They even would playfully "charge" toward the boat before ducking under it at the last minute. Whatever the reason they chose to stay nearby, it is an experience Silva is likely never to forget.
"Just the way the were casually moving around the boat, nonchalantly swimming by," he said. "They were close enough to pet. These are apex predators, very top of the food chain. They're not afraid of anything."