Otter jumps onto boat escaping orca (Video)

Mother nature took mercy on a cute, lovable otter when the marine mammal narrowly escaped a lurking orca just feet away. In the incredible footage, captured in Halibut Cove, Alaska, the otter is first seen roughly 200 yards away from the boat, swimming frantically as the orca follows. As it reaches the boat the otter swims around the outside, looking for a safe haven to climb onto as the orca closes in. Eventually, the otter jumps up onto the transom of captain’s vessel moments before the orca arrives at the surface just feet away.

The clip has since garnered over 20 million views. It’s hardly a surprise, however: Who doesn’t love a good underdog story—with a happy ending? The captain and videographer, John Dornellas, quickly welcomes the harried otter and encourages the friendly little guy to stick around and stay safe. “Come on up, bud,” Dornellas encourages the furry friend. “Hey Buddy. … I won’t hurt you. Stay up here as long as you need.” John revealed a game of cat-and-mouse followed, with the otter hopping back into the water in an attempt to get away, only for the orca to chase it back up again three or four times.

The captain encourages the otter to stick around and stay safe

While the video ends inconclusively, the original poster reported that after waiting for an extended duration, Dornellas, skippered the boat a safe distance away and, once the coast was clear, his new friend made a safe escape back into the depths. It was an incredible moment, but not the first. Other sea animals have been seen making similar escapes, including a penguin, which jumped into a tourist boat to escape a pod of orcas. Watch the video, it was an incredible moment when the frightened otter jumped onto the boat and escaped a orca seconds before being eaten.