A woman witnessed the brutal side of nature in the waters south of Nanaimo last week.
Lindsay Bryant was getting ready to go for a swim in the ocean off the Cedar shoreline south of Nanaimo on Thursday, Nov. 16, at about 12:30 p.m., when she saw a sea lion behaving unusually in Stuart Channel about 100 metres offshore.
B次元官网网址淚 was getting ready to go for a swim, which I do several times a week there, and itB次元官网网址檚 not uncommon to see a sea lion eating fish B次元官网网址� throwing them around a little bit,B次元官网网址� Bryant said.
At first the sea lionB次元官网网址檚 behaviour caused her to suspect the animal might be in distress, possibly even caught in a net, or was ill, but it was only after Bryant picked up her cell phone and video recorded the activity that she realized what she had seen.
B次元官网网址淚t went on for about five minutes, or so, and I couldnB次元官网网址檛 quite tell from where I was, exactly what it was until I go home and sat down and looked at my video and zoomed in,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 was a little surprised to see that it was an octopus.B次元官网网址�
Bryant said in the first few moments in the video it appears the octopus is putting up a fight and trying to grab onto the sea lionB次元官网网址檚 head.
B次元官网网址淚t looked like the octopus kind of had a hold on it. It was putting up a fight, for sure,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲ith all those legs I canB次元官网网址檛 imagine it would be an easy catch.B次元官网网址�
In the video the sea lion can be seen thrashing with the octopus in its mouth and then tossing the animal before going after it and repeating the action. After a few moments the activity quieted down and the sea lion submerged.
B次元官网网址淭he sea lion sort of went under the water for a minute, things quieted down and then, maybe 10 or 15 second later, I saw it surface up the channel a little bit more so IB次元官网网址檓 assuming he had his lunch,B次元官网网址� Bryant said.
She enjoys swimming in cold winter water of the channel, which she said has health benefits, and she participates in polar bear swims as well.
B次元官网网址淚t started as a New YearB次元官网网址檚 Day tradition with my sister and then we just started going more and more,B次元官网网址� she said.
Bryant said she wished she had a better camera to record the event. Based on the size of the sea lion, which she said is one of the larger ones sheB次元官网网址檚 seen in the area, she estimated the octopus was fairly large too.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 never seen an octopus before B次元官网网址� I had in an aquarium, but not in the wildB次元官网网址次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 usually paddleboard out there, so IB次元官网网址檓 slightly glad I wasnB次元官网网址檛 out in the water with them.B次元官网网址�
To view the video of the sea lion and octopus encounter, visit .
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