Throwback: Whale Watching in Canada
Hello Wonderful People!
I've decided to jump on the Throwback Thursday band wagon and do a regular throwback feature on holidays from when I was a wee kiddy winkle. I was lucky enough to visit some amazing places with my parents and experienced so many different things. So I thought it would be a great idea to start sharing these memories with y'all. So today's throwback is about one of the standout moments of my life, when I went whale watching just off the coast of Vancouver Island. It truly was an awe inspiring experience and still gives me goose bumps when I think about it.
As a stroppy 15 year old, I remember thinking that spending 3 hours on a boat was going to be pretty crappy. Our chances of seeing whales must be tiny and even if we did, it would probably just be a fin or two, I was convinced it was going to be a snooze fest. While we were on the boat searching for possible whale sightings, the crew explained all about killer (orca) whales and also about the specialised equipment they had on board. Orcas are actually part of the dolphin family and are extremely social animals that live in large family groups known as pods. They are also absolutely HUGE, with your average male reaching 6 to 8 metres long and their dorsal fins can reach up to 2 metres high. On the boat they also had some crazy technology, (God knows what it was, I was 15 at the time and canny remember) that could listen into the water and detect the orcas communicating with each other, making it easier to detect their location. While we were on board they actually detected a of orcas relatively near by and played out the sounds through speakers on deck. This was when I started to get slightly excited, as our chances of actually seeing some killer whales now seemed pretty likely. But nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen.
Not too far from the boat a member of crew had spotted a couple of fins in the water and said they were heading in our direction. So we all excitedly grabbed some binoculars and cameras to glimpse the approaching fins. This was exciting enough and I though it would be all we'd get to see of the orcas, until one of them jumped out of the water. At this point, the pod was still quite far away, but it was still amazing to see the sheer size of these amazing creatures leaping out of the water.
Suddenly the pod didn't seem so far away and before I knew it the boat was surrounded by 15-20 killer whales. I could not believe what was happening. The orcas were swimming under the boat and then jumping right next to it; it was almost as if they were putting on a show for us. I was literally glued to the spot, staring in complete awe at the amazing spectacle in front of me. We were even lucky enough to see two calves in the pod. Over and over again the orcas would either swim under or alongside the boat then jump or roll in the water. I can honestly say it was one of the most magical experiences of my life.
If this wasn't enough killer whale action for one day, when we got back to shore my parents decided to take us on a sea plane to see the orcas from an aerial view. Not only was the plane ride an experience in itself because we had a pretty cool pilot who did some crazy things with the plane, but we also got to see loads more orcas! It's amazing how clear the sea is from above and you could easily see the killer whales jumping and swimming together. This was a totally different experience from the boat trip as it seemed like we were spying on the orcas and glimpsing into their world when humans aren't around. Plus, being in a plane that takes off and lands on the sea was pretty cool.
If you ever get the chance, no matter where in the world you are, I would recommend going whale watching, as it is truly spectacular! Even if you aren't lucky enough to have the experience I did, even seeing them from a distance in an amazing experience.
Ta ta!
As a stroppy 15 year old, I remember thinking that spending 3 hours on a boat was going to be pretty crappy. Our chances of seeing whales must be tiny and even if we did, it would probably just be a fin or two, I was convinced it was going to be a snooze fest. While we were on the boat searching for possible whale sightings, the crew explained all about killer (orca) whales and also about the specialised equipment they had on board. Orcas are actually part of the dolphin family and are extremely social animals that live in large family groups known as pods. They are also absolutely HUGE, with your average male reaching 6 to 8 metres long and their dorsal fins can reach up to 2 metres high. On the boat they also had some crazy technology, (God knows what it was, I was 15 at the time and canny remember) that could listen into the water and detect the orcas communicating with each other, making it easier to detect their location. While we were on board they actually detected a of orcas relatively near by and played out the sounds through speakers on deck. This was when I started to get slightly excited, as our chances of actually seeing some killer whales now seemed pretty likely. But nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen.
Not too far from the boat a member of crew had spotted a couple of fins in the water and said they were heading in our direction. So we all excitedly grabbed some binoculars and cameras to glimpse the approaching fins. This was exciting enough and I though it would be all we'd get to see of the orcas, until one of them jumped out of the water. At this point, the pod was still quite far away, but it was still amazing to see the sheer size of these amazing creatures leaping out of the water.
Suddenly the pod didn't seem so far away and before I knew it the boat was surrounded by 15-20 killer whales. I could not believe what was happening. The orcas were swimming under the boat and then jumping right next to it; it was almost as if they were putting on a show for us. I was literally glued to the spot, staring in complete awe at the amazing spectacle in front of me. We were even lucky enough to see two calves in the pod. Over and over again the orcas would either swim under or alongside the boat then jump or roll in the water. I can honestly say it was one of the most magical experiences of my life.
If this wasn't enough killer whale action for one day, when we got back to shore my parents decided to take us on a sea plane to see the orcas from an aerial view. Not only was the plane ride an experience in itself because we had a pretty cool pilot who did some crazy things with the plane, but we also got to see loads more orcas! It's amazing how clear the sea is from above and you could easily see the killer whales jumping and swimming together. This was a totally different experience from the boat trip as it seemed like we were spying on the orcas and glimpsing into their world when humans aren't around. Plus, being in a plane that takes off and lands on the sea was pretty cool.
If you ever get the chance, no matter where in the world you are, I would recommend going whale watching, as it is truly spectacular! Even if you aren't lucky enough to have the experience I did, even seeing them from a distance in an amazing experience.
Ta ta!
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