If you’re really looking to determine the resourcefulness of an animal (humans included), there’s no better test than when they’re in survival mode. Several fishermen off the coast of Vancouver witnessed exactly what a seal was capable of when it used every resource available to find its way into their boat and away from the menacing predators.

According to the person who uploaded the video, the seal had drawn the attention of twelve killer whales and tried three times to scale the side of the boat to safety. Once it managed to avoid the pitfalls of the boat’s engine and find its way aboard, it remained there for 30-45 minutes, not wanting to take any chances that the predators would return.

No sooner does the little guy make it to safety than two of the whales breach, revealing just how close the animal was to becoming a meal.

(The video opens with a bit of profanity due to the tense circumstances, but it gets pretty civil after that.)

The drama doesn’t end there, however. The number of whales threatening becomes clear as they continue to circle the boat, hoping for the seal’s return.

When the seal finally does return to the water, the boaters bid the animal farewell with a mantra it likely knows all too well—“survive.”