There be whales
digitalscapes by starchy all rights reserved
“Look mommy, an Orca!” yelled a small child pointing toward the Oceanside beach. Laughing to myself at the vivid imagination of children, but at the same time I couldn’t help but glance in the direction of her pointing finger. To my surprise I caught the unmistakable puff of mist and snort from a submerging black back. Then another blow and another, “what’s going on here?” I heard myself say out loud.
Ironically at that very second, a speeding zodiac full of spray soaked whale watching tourists bounced by on the heavy chop. Twelve or so in dirty yellow raincoats, at eighty dollars a pop, speeding unknowingly by a pod we were seeing up close for free.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, killer whales seemed to be everywhere and within the kelp zone, something I had never seen before. I had seen them passing by within binocular range before, but never this close to shore. In the excitement it was impossible to count their number, but there had to be at least six of them swimming along the surface, just off Dallas road in Victoria BC. And maybe even more beneath? They were skirting the shore side of the kelp beds, with what appeared to be a serious purpose. Perhaps they had trapped a school of salmon in the kelp, or even a seal?
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