While most British Colombians have to pick up a ticket on a whale safari to get a good overview of a killer whale, a lucky couple managed a close encounter with the large marine mammals without even leaving the quay on Saturday.

Orcas rarely appeared in Vancouver Coal Harbor around 5:30 p.m.

Harbor Air employee Rob Johnson managed to capture part of the experience on video, describing it as “surreal”.

“I’ve never seen one orca, let alone two, in Coal Harbor in the three years I’ve been employed by Harbor Air,” he said.

“I knew whales were big big creatures, but one seemed to span the length of our seaplanes.”

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Orca’s pods were spotted about two hours earlier near Lions Gate Bridge, thrilling viewers at Stanley Park.

Although not a common occurrence, it is known that passing or “Biggs” orcas frequently visit the Burrard inlet in search of seals.

Orcas rarely appeared in False Creek in 2019 and made a big splash when they appeared in Coal Harbor back in 2016.