Sometimes survival comes down to a single, desperate choice. For one harbor seal in Puget Sound, that choice meant trusting a boat full of humans.
Earlier this week off the coast of Washington state, Smith Siromaskul, his wife Terese Drummond, and their friend Charvet Drucker headed out with their cameras, hoping to catch a glimpse of orcas. What they didn’t expect was to become part of a life-or-death chase.
Near Rocky Point, the trio spotted a pod of orcas behaving unusually.
“They were clearly chasing something,” Siromaskul told The Dodo. “Then suddenly we saw something get launched out of the water.”
That “something” turned out to be a harbor seal.
“The seal was basically being used as hunting practice for the younger orcas,” Drucker explained.
For nearly 45 tense minutes, the photographers watched the pursuit unfold — equal parts awe-inspiring and heartbreaking.
“It’s incredible to witness whale behavior,” Siromaskul said. “You know the orcas need to eat, but you can’t help feeling for the seal. We wanted to yell, ‘Get over here!’ but didn’t want to scare him.”
As the splashing slowed, it became clear the orcas were closing in. That’s when the seal made a dramatic move — swimming straight toward the boat and launching himself onboard.
You can watch that moment here:
The orcas followed closely. Siromaskul immediately shut off the engine to avoid injuring the whales as they approached.
“I was in complete awe being that close to both the seal and the orcas,” Drucker said. “But I was terrified for the seal.”
The whales circled, surfacing near the boat, clearly aware of their missing prey.
“The seal was looking at us, looking at the water, and the whales were looking at us, looking at the seal,” Siromaskul said.
Then, in a heart-stopping moment, the seal slipped back into the water.
“I thought, ‘No, no, no,’” Siromaskul recalled, trying not to move or make a sound.
Amazingly, the seal jumped back onto the boat — only to slip off again. The orcas attempted a coordinated maneuver, creating waves to knock him loose.
But the seal wasn’t done fighting.
“He scrambled onto the engine and then climbed onto the back seat,” Siromaskul said. “After a bit, he seemed to realize he was safe. He sat there calmly, watching the water.”
For another 20 minutes, the orcas circled and swam beneath the boat. Eventually, they gave up and swam away.
“People ask if we were scared,” Drucker said. “Honestly, no. Orcas are incredibly intelligent, and they clearly weren’t interested in us.”
Exhausted, the seal fell asleep on the boat.
Once the adrenaline wore off, a new question set in: what now?
Siromaskul contacted marine experts for advice and slowly began heading toward shore. The seal slept through it all.
“Eventually he woke up, sniffed the air, looked around, and sniffed again,” Siromaskul said. “It was like he was checking if it was safe.”
When the boat slowed, the seal slipped quietly back into the water and vanished.
The photographers were left stunned.
“It was the encounter of a lifetime,” Siromaskul said. “One of the most incredible experiences I’ll ever have.”
“You see moments like this online and never think it’ll happen to you,” Drucker added. “I’m just so grateful it ended the way it did.”
And thankfully, they had their cameras ready to capture a moment none of them will ever forget.
