The whales came very near to the kayakers but Meyrick Jones said they were not scared of them.

She is not the only pregnant orca either.

DFO has outlined measures for boaters to protect the southern resident killer whales.

"Many of these whales in the southern resident community have never known a quiet Salish Sea," said Prof. Lauren McWhinney.

The travel booking platform said that the new policy is aimed at preventing future generations of dolphins, whales and porpoises from spending life in captivity.

Three-time Olympic medalist Silken Laumann posted video of the close encounter, which she says is happening more frequently near her Victoria-area home.

The boater broke rules imposed by the federal government that require vessels to stay at least 400 metres away from killer whales.

Friday saw the latest set of recovery measures for the endangered southern residents, of which only 75 remain and face a number of serious threats.

"Even 20 minutes after they were gone we were all mesmerized by what just happened."

J17, a member of the J-pod, is one of just a handful of orcas remaining in the SRKW population.