My Greatest Adventure At Sea

It was in 1994 when Victoria on Vancouver Island became known as the Whale Watching Capital of the world. I just had come to this paradise by the sea to stay, and the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands became my favorite playground.

I was eager to share the beauty of nature with others and so I developed the passion to make videos of sea lions and killer whales. I prefer to call them orcas, like the whale watching guides do, because all three pods in this area do not kill any seals. They are fish eaters since more than a thousand years but they still look like the transient killer whales that roam the passage north of Campbell River and the Pacific Ocean. The Latin name for killer whale is orcinus orcas.

For several weeks I gathered information on orcas and historic practices, that almost drove them to extinction, and used them for the narration script. In spring and summer I took every opportunity to go on whale watching excursions and almost every outing was a success. I had offered some copies of my DVD to several companies and they agreed to give me free rides on their boats.

One early morning, at sunrise, I was enjoying a ride on a small scouting boat. While cruising at high speed, we were searching for orcas in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass near the San Juan Islands. At the east end of the pass the guide shut off the engine and we drifted towards Haro Strait. After a while we spotted some activity about a mile ahead and enjoyed the silence and view of beautiful, forested islands while the current carried us in that direction.

Not more than two-hundred yards behind us, another orca broke the surface. Moments later it lifted its tail fin high to start a deep dive. Through my binoculars I clearly identified its tall dorsal fin and was convinced that I was looking at a very large male.

A few minutes later I focused my camera on a bunch of drifting kelp at about forty foot distance and locked the focus. Now I was ready to shoot, with my camera in standby mode.

Then it happened, as if it had read my mind: The water bulged shortly and the orca breached high out of the sea just parallel to our boat. My camera was firmly on target and I made sure not to miss its head. It was awesome and scary to be so close to the giant orca. When it hit the water, it splashed in all directions and even onto the boat! I was glad that it didn’t soak the camera.

A moment later the orca popped up again and looked at us shortly before it slapped the water with its tail fin and went for another dive. The whole event appeared like a dream and seemed like being staged: The kelp appeared at the right time and distance to preset the camera focus and then the orca breached just parallel to our boat while I was ready; it’s hard to believe. Yes, even my extreme wide-angle setting proved to be correct.

Orcas and also dolphins like to show off and seem to enjoy the praise, laughter and applause from people. But we were too busy and stunned to show our appreciation.

Later that year I watched a beautiful sunrise from my balcony. It reminded me of the early morning and the adventure at Boundary Pass. I also recalled the feeling of freedom that the orcas rekindled in me. I wrote my thoughts on a piece of paper and by afternoon I had composed a song about the orcas. I gave it the title “BE FREE”. This song just added the finishing touch to the video.

The friendly orcas and their calls become vivid and clear in my memory whenever I listen to the song. On several other whale watching excursions I had been very close to orcas that I could see their eyes and feel the mist of their breath but the event at Haro Strait remains my greatest adventure at sea.

I believe now that the events of this day had been the result of Inner Guidance that will direct us all when we follow our bliss and when we feel enthusiasm and gratefulness.