A couple walking along Vancouver Island's southern coast got a surprise last month.
While the barking of sea lions isn't uncommon in the area, Gillian Legendre and Chris German spotted something much rarer when they witnessed dozens of sea lions race to the ocean and swim away.
The stampede came out of a sea cave, where the sea lions had been spending some time on land. In a video posted to Facebook, you can see the group charge down the beach, to the water and leap through the surf past Legendre as she watched only a few metres away.
As the water washes into the narrow gorge, it slows them up a bit as they try to overcome the swells.
"Holy CRAP!" Legendre exclaims in the video. "Oh my god."
The sea lions barked loudly as they passed, but probably not in response to her.
