Terrifying moment a pod of 20 killer whales follows boat of couple on wedding anniversary trip



A Florida couple celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary on a trip to Mexico were given an unforgettable memory when a pod of 20 killer whales followed the wake of their boat for an hour.



Rich and Laura Howard from Lutz, were diving off the coast of La Paz when their dive instructor signalled for them to return to their boat.



Obeying his instructions, the keen ocean photographer and his wife discovered to their disbelief that they were fast being approached by a group of 4-5ft dorsal fins. Mrs Howard filmed the incredible sighting on her Flip Cam.

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Hunted: An enormous dorsal fin is spotted by Rich Howard moments after he and wife were instructed to cut their dive short and get back on their boat in La Paz, Mexico

Too close for comfort? Mr Howard and his wife, Laura, were celebrating their 20 year wedding anniversary on a dive trip when they found they were being followed by a pod of 20 killer whales

'I didn't think killer whales,' she told WFLA.com of the moment they were summoned by the dive leader. 'I thought, oh, it's going to be a humpback, it's going to be a sperm whale, something that we'll see from a distance.'

But as they set off away from the dive site on a speed boat, the killer whales followed close behind, jumping out the water as if they were dolphins, flipping and spinning and spraying their spectators.

Ocean spray! A huge killer whale jumps out of the sea like a dolphin right behind the speed boat

Sneaky: Laura Howard filmed the whales frolicking in the wake of their boat with her Flip Cam

Fun: Mr and Mrs Howard are keen ocean photographers but say they will remember this rare experience forever

'They were spinning, jumping,' Mrs Howard gushed. 'One of them really stuck with us the longest and would flip on their side and literally look up at me.'



The huge beasts got so close to the boat, at one point someone off camera shouted they had been able to touch one of them.



'It was amazing to see them because they were 6-8 inches off the back of the boat. Every time they'd come up for a breath of air, they'd spray you,' recalled Mr Howard.

Making waves: Mrs Howard said she felt as if they were looking right at her as the sprang from the sea

Double trouble: The pod travelled together like dolphins performing for the couple as if in a show

Unprecedented: The killer whales followed the Howard's boat for an hour

The couple were vacationing at the Costa Baja Resort in La Paz to celebrate their anniversary doing what they love the most. Mr Howard is a keen underwater photographer, inspired from a young age by Jacques Cousteau.



'Ever since I was 5 or 6 years old and got my first book from Jacques Cousteau, I've just loved the ocean ever since,' he confessed.

Lucky couple: Laura and Rich Howard, from Lutz, Florida had been diving with sea lions shortly before their leader told them they needed to get back in the boat



Adventurer: Mr Howard was inspired by Jacques Cousteau when he was a little boy and has been obsessed by underwater life since

They even sell the images of ocean life that they shoot themselves on their website, OceansofImages.com.



But this experience was unprecedented for the Howards and they have been told, anyone else who has visited the area.

