A whale of a time was had by many when a transient male orca made a surprise visit to Victoria鈥檚 Inner Harbour.

The 23-year-old killer whale, identified as T049A1 but known as Noah, made a splash in the downtown harbour on Dec. 14.

With a front-row seat to the action onboard her houseboat, Jackie Cowan captured the moment on video.

鈥淢y neighbour sent me a text that simply said, 鈥極rca鈥�, so I rushed out,鈥� said the former whale-watching tour operator.

In prime position, Cowan and her neighbour watched the whale enter the harbour before it disappeared underwater next to the Delta Hotel.

鈥淚t was gone for quite a long time,鈥� said Cowan, who added it took a couple of minutes before the marine visitor resurfaced.

鈥淚t most likely went under the Johnson Street Bridge, so we stood and waited 鈥� then he came right across in front of us. It was totally exciting 鈥� here鈥檚 the thing, it never gets dull."

Cowan鈥檚 close encounter with Noah comes only two months after she spotted a pod of five orcas near her home.

Visiting the harbour in early October was the family of orphan orca Brave Little Hunter, the famous calf which has been surviving alone in the wild after escaping from a tidal lagoon off northwest Vancouver Island in late April.

鈥淚t's fantastic,鈥� said Cowan about her recent sightings. 鈥淚 can't say enough about how exciting it is.鈥�

Referring to Noah鈥檚 harbour visit, Cowan suspects he was 鈥渇ollowing the food chain,鈥� having spotted a number of seals in the water that same day.

鈥淚 personally think it's now that orca鈥檚 route,鈥� she says, noting she saw the transient male in the harbour two years ago. 鈥淏ecause he's following the exact same route when he comes in."