Unlikely duo spotted swimming off Washington coast. ‘Wonder who was more surprised’

Whale watching tour guides were stunned by an unlikely sight recently off the coast of Washington.

On the morning of Sunday, June 4, tour guides with Island Adventures Whale Watching snapped what they thought were routine photos of an orca named T124C and known as “Cooper.”

When they took a closer look at the photos, they realized they were anything but ordinary. An unexpected partner was swimming right beside the orca — a land-dwelling deer.

It happened during the 10 a.m. whale and wildlife tour at Battleship Island, according to the group’s daily whale report.

“We didn’t realize it at the time, but our photos revealed he swam right past a black-tailed deer,” naturalist Sam Murphy said in the report. “What are the odds of that?”

In a June 6 Facebook post, officials with the Pacific Whale Watching Association suggested that while it’s unlikely, it isn’t all that uncommon to spot deer in the water during the tours.

“Oh, deer!” officials said. “Many are surprised to learn that deer are strong swimmers, and occasionally we’ll see them swimming from island to island on our tours. What we do *not* usually see is a deer swimming next to a Bigg’s (mammal-eating) killer whale! Fortunately for this deer, T124C ‘Cooper’ wasn’t in the mood for venison!”

The two mammals ignored each other and continued on their separate ways, officials said.

“Not something we see every day…” they wrote. “We wonder who was more surprised to see who.”

Participants offered up their witty remarks in the comments.

“What happens when you play truth-or-deer,” someone offered.

“Oh Deer, I can sea you’re in Bigg trouble…” someone else commented.

“This deer wishes it was at the bank. That’s where a buck is safe” and “Oh deer, I’ve made a bigg mistake” won a caption contest the whale watching tour group hosted on their Facebook page.

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