For Bryan MacGowan and friends, a recent Sea of Cortez fishing trip will remain memorable not because of what they caught, but what they saw: several large killer whales that emerged off the stern of their 31-foot boat, two of them just inches away, at times seeming to inspect the anglers and crew.
"As the stern dipped in the waves, they would peer into the cockpit," MacGowan said. "It was intimidating--they are big!"
The encounter, involving at least 12 killer whales, or orcas, occurred off Baja California's East Cape region as the anglers were cruising offshore to hunt for marlin. There were no lines in the water during the encounter.
Two were immediately behind the boat when MacGowan captured the top image, revealing a killer whale practically within touching range. "There was another orca in the prop wash on the other side, but my camera could only capture the one," he said.
MacGowan captured a second image (posted below), showing a killer whale "playing in the stern wash, after the close ones dropped out."
It was startling because everyone had been looking forward until the captain spotted the mammals and shouted for everyone to turn and look.
The top image first appeared Saturday on the Pisces Sportfishing blog and Facebook page, with a post that reads:
Look very carefully at this photo, sent to us by Brian MacGowan from Newport Beach, California, who is out today on the Tracy Ann. He was fishing at the East Cape recently, when the captain yelled for him to look back... he did, glad the lures were not in the water, he could have had the fight of a life time on his hands.
The captain told MacGowan that he sees what he thinks is the same pod two or three times a year.
Boaters farther north, off Loreto, enjoyed a similar encounter last fall. Perhaps those were from the same pod or family group.
--Pete Thomas
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