A couple of anglers spotted a pod of orcas five miles off San Diego last week and motored over to have a closer look.
The interest was mutual and the orcas grew curious enough to move closer to the now nervous boaters, who throttled up and ran.
The scary part came when the orcas gave chase, easily keeping pace with the boat’s modest single outboard engine.
The posting by Ben Lewis, a local lifeguard, drew criticism from some who said the duo should have left the pod alone and cut the engine instead of throttling up.
“As a lifeguard, I would’ve thought you knew to KILL your motor until they moved on,” said one comment. “In your video, you incriminate yourself and your co-worker when you say, ‘Let’s get closer to it.’ In my opinion, you deserve a fine … and mandatory whale protection education. The only thing I’m thankful for is you didn’t appear to harm them during your harassment.”
