Flagellar swimming hydrodynamics confers a recognized advantage for attachment on solid surfaces. Whether this motility further enables the following environmental cues was experimentally explored. Motile E. coli (OD ∼ 0.1) in a 100 μm-thick channel were exposed to off-equilibrium gradients set by a chemorepellent Ni(NO$_3$)$_2$-source (250 mM). Single bacterial dynamics at the solid surface was analyzed by dark-field videomicroscopy at a fixed position. The number of bacteria indicated their congregation into a wave escaping from the repellent source. Besides the high velocity drift in the propagation direction within the wave, an unexpectedly high perpendicular component drift was also observed. Swimming hydrodynamics CW-bends the bacteria trajectories during their primo approach to the surface (< 2 μm), and a high enough tumbling frequency likely preserves a notable lateral drift. This comprehension substantiates a survival strategy tailored to toxic environments, which involves drifting along surfaces, promoting the inception of colonization at the most advantageous sites.