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Sea lion-versus-octopus battle filmed off B.C.’s south coast

Woman preparing to go for swim captures circle-of-life moment on video near Nanaimo
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A still image taken from cellphone video footage shows a sea lion tossing an octopus in Stuart Channel south of Nanaimo on Thursday, Nov. 16. (Image courtesy Lindsay Bryant)

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.

“I was getting ready to go for a swim, which I do several times a week there, and it’s not uncommon to see a sea lion eating fish – throwing them around a little bit,” Bryant said.

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Chris Bush

About the Author: Chris Bush

As a photographer/reporter with the Nanaimo News Bulletin since 1998.
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