Killer whales swim alongside beachgoers in Washington, photos show. ‘Mind blowing’

Beachgoers in Washington state recently came face-to-face with a group of orcas swimming close to shore.

The close encounter, which occurred in Southworth, located just outside of Seattle, was documented by a photographer.

“Today was absolutely mind blowing …” Crystal Thompson wrote in a May 19 post in a Facebook group for Pacific Northwest photographers.

The day, Thomson said, “turned into a chase to find orcas.”

When the animals swam through Colvos Passage, a tidal strait in Puget Sound, they passed right by several beachgoers who “probably had the experience of a lifetime,” Thompson said.

In a photo accompanying the post, an orca can be seen breaching the surface a short distance away from an onlooking swimmer.

“Too close for comfort, but what an experience,” Thompson wrote in the caption.

In another photo, an orca can be seen lurching straight out of the water while a man and child watch from the beach.

“We all were high-fiving each other because it was such an amazing experience,” Thompson wrote.

Killer whales, the largest member of the dolphin family, can measure up to 32 feet in length and weigh as much as 11 tons, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Several populations of the animals live off the coast of Washington, and they are found throughout most of the world’s oceans.

This story was originally published May 22, 2024 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Killer whales swim alongside beachgoers in Washington, photos show. ‘Mind blowing’."