Description

I have often thought about how the Orca perceives the single moment before they crossover from their world underneath the blanket of the ocean, to a polar opposite world of brightness and unfamiliarity. With a gentle spy hop, or a burst of energy, they break through that barrier with frequent regularity of brief moments. This piece was inspired from a trip I took back home to Haida Gwaii in august of 2018. I had the experience of a lifetime while ocean kayaking with my best friend Justin Bellis outside of Skidegate. We were paddling our way out further towards Sandspit when we stopped for a rest. The morning was overcast and quiet, and at times felt the island mist falling. We had not seen any wildlife activity to this point, except for some seals, and birds flying overhead. I knew we probably wouldn’t but I had hoped we would maybe get a glimpse of some whales. It wasn’t looking too promising but it was so beautiful to be out there. Out of nowhere, a violent burst of water about 40 ft. in front of our kayaks. I couldn’t believe this black and white Orca propelled out of the ocean, body clearing the water, blew a loud jet stream out of it’s blowhole before nose diving straight back into the ocean, leaving my extremities paralyzed as it was swimming directly at us gliding right under our kayaks. Just like that he disappeared from view, clearly on a path to somewhere more important, leaving me with the most unforgettably thrilling, terrifying and beautiful experience. The minute I was able to calm myself down, I knew I had to share it.