A group of orcas got close to shore this weekend and gave Bowen Island beachgoers an unexpected close encounter.

The group of four or five came within a few metres of shore, swimming along the shore line for a while before heading back out, away from the island.

The group couldn't have picked a more picturesque place to have a close encounter with humans.

In the video the marine mammals take a leisurely swim past with a couple slaps of their flukes. Boaters, which are usually the ones who get close encounters, stop to watch as well, much further away than the people on the beach.

On social media people have suggested the group were A42 (Sonora) and her calves.