B.C. ferry delayed 10 minutes because of swimming black bear at Horseshoe Bay

VANCOUER, B.C. – On the balmy Saturday morning at the beginning of the long weekend, little did the passengers of a ferry in B.C. know that they would be delayed by a black bear taking a dip.

The bear went for a leisurely swim just outside of the berth at Horseshoe Bay, delaying the Queen of Oak Bay, which departed from Nanaimo, by about 10 minutes.

A spokeswoman for BC Ferries says the ferry docked at Departure Bay at 10:42 a.m. and the bear was seen a few minutes before.

Astrid Braunschmidt says while it’s not unusual to see wildlife on the shores from time to time, she couldn’t recall the last time a black bear was spotted from the ferry.

Braunschmidt says wildlife usually seen include orcas, humpbacks, dolphins and sea lions.

She says while she’s not sure where the bear was going she hopes it was just enjoying the beautiful weather.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version cited a spokeswoman that initially said the bear was spotted at Horseshoe Bay.