Santa Fe resident Matt Smith has fished in the Gulf of Mexico since he was an 11-year-old kid working on his father's charter boat.
Smith, now 31, works as a captain for the fishing company Galveston Party Boats, Inc. In his 20 years of fishing in the Gulf, he has never spotted an orca. Until now.
A pod of 100 killer whales put on quite the show for Smith, his crew and a party of tuna-seeking fisherman on Wednesday. The massive black-and-white creatures surrounded their boat, the New Buccaneer, for a few fleeting moments before disappearing into the Gulf waters.
Smith said they were about 140 miles south of Galveston when the whales appeared. The crew slowed their speed down during the encounter, careful not to bring any harm to the whales, and soaked up every precious moment.
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"I was pumped," Smith said. "As soon as we saw them I knew exactly what they were. That definitely takes the cake on the coolest thing we have seen."
Smith caught the whole thing on video. After posting it to his Facebook Wednesday night, he awoke Thursday morning to more than 100,000 views. The phone lines at his company are "ringing off the hook" with nearby residents itching to book a ride and get a glimpse of an orca.
But they shouldn't hold their breath. Smith said the sighting was a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal, and he does not expect it to happen again.
"The chance of seeing one is almost zero," he said. "I'll probably never see it again."
Orca sightings in the Gulf date back to at least 1985, with the most recent sighting in 2009. The marine mammals are rarely spotted because they typically live beyond the continental shelf and in much deeper waters.
Smith said his company is "geared a little bit more toward a more serious fisherman" but is open to accommodating any guests. Find more on Galveston Party Boats Inc. on their website here.
rebecca.hennes@chron.com
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Galveston fisherman captures video of rare orca sighting in Gulf near Galveston - Houston Chronicle
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