Photographer Jeremy Koreski and former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell had a surprising encounter recently off of Tofino. They ran into this Leatherback turtle!
Jeremy tells us they were "shocked by the size" of it, and that he wished they could have spent more time with it, perhaps shooting underwater images. However "It took a few breaths and was gone."
According to the Marine Education and Research Society, the turtle is an endangered species and less than 135 of them have been documented in B.C. waters since the 1930s. They're the fastest growing, deepest diving of their kind and they come over from Indonesia to feed on jellyfish. Oh, and they get to be the size of a small car!
The last time one was reported being seen was back in 2016.
While they're rare they have a website set up that's meant to raise awareness about their presence in our waters. Check out the video below then visit leatherbacksinbc.org to learn more about these creatures.
Oh, and if you happen to randomly see one of them call it in to 1-866-I-SAW-ONE.
