A penguin was caught on camera while making a dramatic escape from a pod of killer whales and jumping onto a boat full of tourists.
The epic moment took place in the Gerlache Strait, Antarctica, where a group of tourists stationed on rigid inflatable boats was canvassing the area and admiring nature.
All of a sudden, the group spotted a pod of orcas that began chasing a penguin that was swimming nearby.
During the intense hunt, the killer whales were close behind the penguin that attempted to escape them by flinging itself onto one of the boats only to bounce back into the sea.
After the failed attempt, the persistent bird tried again – this time successfully – and escaped certain death much to the amusement of the tourists.
“It was crazy to see in person. It was like watching a National Geographic episode on location. I imagine the penguin was very relieved to get away,” Matt Karsten, a travel blogger who visited the pristine region together with his wife Anna, said.
“We were heading out for a scenic Zodiac cruise between icebergs when a large pod of orcas showed up playing in the water besides us. They swam right up to the camera and said hello. Suddenly the orcas started chasing a gentoo penguin trying to eat it.
“Back and forth they went with the penguin swimming fast with the orcas on its trail. Eventually the poor penguin tried to jump into a nearby zodiac boat.”
While the penguin didn’t succeed in its first attempt to make it to safety, the bird refused to give up until it was on the boat.
“The penguin failed at first, falling back into the water, but then managed on the second attempt. The orcas did follow the zodiac boat for a while. They did give up in the end leaving the penguin safe with his new friends,” Matt added.
“After cruising for a little bit, the penguin said goodbye to the boat and hopped back into the icy water.”
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