ORCAS MINGLING WITH - Ecosummer Expeditions€¦ · The joys of a bush camp are many but one that always stands out is the, shall we say, ‘unique’ toilet experience. Orca Camp’s

ADVENTURE | VANcoUVER islAND sEA kayAk

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Pushing off in a kayak on Canada’s pristine waters affords adventurers with something a little bit different

– a chance to mingle with marine giants: the orca.WORDS anD PhOtOS justin wAlker

ORCASMINGLING WITH


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whales. I am with a group of US-based paddlers (Brian and Donna, Marshon, Annette, Dan and Ritchie), as well as Brenda, Sharon and Steve, our Canadian guides.

We had arrived the day before at camp, high on the chance to get up very close and personal to these majestic and – as we learn over the next four days – highly intelligent creatures. The first thing we all soon realised is that the word “camp” is probably a slight understatement for our accommodation. Orca Camp has a large, sheltered kitchen and dining area, the permanent tents on sturdy platforms and, most impressively, the beachside campfire, with a view to beat all others directly onto the waters of Johnstone Strait was a very pleasant surprise. Now, all we had to do was find some orca…

NOTHING’S BLACK AND WHITEThe first thing we learn is that not all killer whales are the same. The moniker killer whale is actually slightly misleading. Indeed, Orcinus orcaare is part of the Cetacea order (which comprises all

IT IS AN eeRIe SOUND, bouncing off the flat, open ocean; a low monotone that seems fit for a purpose – that of attracting the world’s largest marine predator – and it’s coming from a large piece of sea kelp fashioned into a horn. Of course, it doesn’t help that the thing is being blown almost in

my ear, but if the desired result is reached, then I am prepared to forsake my claim for industrial deafness. We are chasing orca. Crazy? Perhaps. After all, it isn’t every day you actually wish for a close encounter with something that could, quite easily, swallow you, your paddling partner, and a kayak, in no more than, oh, about three bites.

I am floating in a double sea kayak, partnered by Brenda, lead guide for ecosummer expedi-tions’ orca-based paddling adventure, based out of a remote camp site (dubbed, appropriately enough, Orca Camp) on Vancouver Island’s west coast, in Johnstone Strait, the temporary marine playground for our next four days – and the permanent home for more than 200 killer

whales, porpoises and dolphins) but it is actually more closely related to dolphins and porpoises, sharing membership of the Delphinadae family with these two. And, rather than just one orca, there’s current scientific discussion around the fact that the term orca actually covers three distinctly separate populations of killer whale: Resident orca (separated into distinct southern and northern communities along the British Columbia Coast) only feed on salmon; Transient feed on marine mammals (think seals, sea lions, and other whales); while offshore spend most of their time further out from the coastline and feed on larger fish species.

If anything is going to give you a serious attack of the heebie-jeebies – besides, perhaps, being shadowed by a great white shark – it is if one of these blakc and white giants sidles up beside your kayak. Female orca top out at around 7.7m (our double sea kayaks measure around 7m), weigh 4000kg and can live for up to 80 years. The males don’t live quite as long (60-70 years) but cop the full bully-boy attributes of more size – at 9m

Brenda uses a piece of sea kelp to put out the orca call.

The old (below) and the new (right): paddling Johnstone Strait means all forms of navigation had their place.

Orca Camp boasts a kitchen and dining area, permanent tents and a killer view.



Orca Camp boasts a kitchen and dining area, permanent tents and a killer view.Orca Camp boasts a kitchen and dining area, permanent tents and a killer view.


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long – and a lot more weight, tipping the scales at 5500kg – yep, that’s five-and-a-half tonnes. And just to deal that final blow to any manly aspirations I may have had, we also learn that the male orca’s dorsal fin can reach up to 1.8m tall. Um, that’s my exact height…

Amid all this overwhelming information is a single fact we all feverishly cling to: there’s been no recorded orca attack on humans in the wild.

A TEASING WHISPERThe first day of any adventure is packed. Not always with action but certainly with high excitement and anticipation. And it is no dif-ferent for us as we power through a huge lunch before piling into our kayaks, PFDs on, cameras ready and paddle muscles about to be reawakened after many months of inactivity. Paddling in a double sea kayak with a stranger ain’t always easy but, luckily for me, I have decided to exert some journalistic influence, and scored Brenda as my paddle partner. We soon easily slip into a paddle-stroke rhythm, all the while keeping one

ear tuned into Brenda’s radio (whale watching boats in Johnstone Strait generally work together to spot whales and orca and communicate their locations) and both eyes peeled for any sign of dorsal fins or water spray. It is, when you look back rationally, a vain ideal to think you’ll actually spot the orca with your naked eye. We have binoculars to assist us but are soon being awakened to the fact that Johnstone Strait hosts more than just orca.

The various salmon waterways that empty into the strait attract an abundance of wildlife – bald eagles, sea lions, orca and other fish – as well as human predators, in the form of large seine fishing boats, referred to as ‘seiners’. (The term ‘seine’ describes a fishing net that is held down by weights and used to encircle schooling fish-types, such as salmon). We spot these boats on the way to camp and after the initial surprise at seeing so many, soon accept them as part of the seascape.

We are having little luck spotting orca before we receive an amusing visit from an inquisitive sea lion, which proceeds to shadow us up and

If anything is going to give you a serious attack of the heebie-jeebies – besides, perhaps, being shadowed by a great white shark – it is if one of these black and white giants sidles up beside your kayak.


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down the coastline and then back toward our camp. Being down on water level enables us to appreciate just how large these marine mammals are – and why they’d make more than a tasty morsel for transient orca.

It is evening – and we’re back on shore with a sea mist rolling in – when we finally receive a small, furtive signal from our main objective. Way out in the strait, the distinctive puff sound of orca as they exhale on surfacing drifts back to camp. It’s a whispering tease in some ways.

AN EXCLUSIVE CLUBThe joys of a bush camp are many but one that always stands out is the, shall we say, ‘unique’ toilet experience. Orca Camp’s loo sits south of the main camp area, shielded on three sides by trees, thus allowing those ensconced to, if they so desire, take in a brilliant view of Johnstone Strait. It is also the headquarters for a highly exclusive establishment – the Pooh With Orca (PWO) club. Kicked off in 2010 by a previous Orca Camp visitor, the club had – until this

morning – included one, solitary, member. So it is that, even as I am being awoken in my

tent by orca sounds – I write in my notebook that it is “probably the world’s most memorable alarm clock” – Brian is enjoying initiation into the lofty echelons of PWO membership. It just goes to show that it really is worth taking your time on the throne – you never know just quite what may wander – or swim – past. For Brian, spotting orca from the loo is a memorable experi-ence – and he wastes no time in adding his name to the club’s honour board.

These close encounters have us pumped for the day’s paddle and we hastily gulp down a massive breakfast, take a peek at a map of the area, and then launch on a slightly circumspect route, for we have an appointment with a special local resident – a very rare eagle. Well, of sorts.

SEEING THROUGH EAGLE EYESThe Robson Bight (Michael Biggs) ecological Reserve is a couple of kilometres south of Orca Camp and unique in that it contains a number

They move at their own speed, not ignorant of us, or the trawler, allowing us to absorb the fact that they are, really, the lords of this domain.

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Probably one of the world’s most exlusive outdoor clubs.

of whale-rubbing beaches. It was established in 1982 and is off-limits to pretty much everybody, and the important job of ensuring this area (it covers an area that is a touch more than 5400ha, and extends 1km into Johnstone Strait) is taken care of by CeTUS Research and Conservation Society, with its lookout named, appropriately for the view it offers, eagle eye, on West Cracroft Island, perched high above Boat Bay. The aim of eagle eye is to ensure no marine craft cross into the reserve, thus preserving its unique role in the resident orca communities.

The paddle across Johnstone Strait to West Cracroft Island is deceptively long. each paddle stroke brings us slowly closer, but the distance, along with the constant head swivelling for orca, soaks up time. Landing in a beautiful sheltered bay, we then subject our sea legs to some cross-terrain work, hiking up to the precipitous location of eagle eye itself. The view is magic – and the staff are keen to showcase their work, all looked over by a huge dog, whose reason for being there varies from bear protection to just good, loyal

company during the long days of watching over the reserve.

FIRST CONTACTNature guarantees nothing, and throws up as many obstacles, variables and unique, left-of-field experiences for us to know that we may well not see any orca at all during our four days. Nobody has said a word, yet, and the paddling, beautiful landscape, and host of information from our guides has kept up hopeful but not desperate. By now, Brenda’s sounding of the orca horn, and indeed, its effectiveness has been humorously called into question. It is quiet and we’re slowly making our way back to camp, dragging out the distance as there’s still a small chance.

When Brenda’s radio crackles a garbled mes-sage and she shouts, “Orca are on the way” it promotes much talking, not so much paddling, and a little bit of panic – mainly from me as I madly reshuffle my dry bags to gain quick access to my zoom-lens-equipped camera. The orca are still a bit of distance away but it is amazing how

adrenalin makes you think they’re right there, you’d better paddle a hell of a lot faster, and if you don’t have that camera ready, your whole reason for being here is rendered obsolete.

We paddle furiously toward where we hope we will intercept the orca – all while being aware that we are not allowed within 100m of these majestic marine mammals. It is hard to overcome the desire to get as close as possible but that emotion is dealt a quick blow by a nearby trawler that effectively cuts us off from getting too close.

Seeing the orca for the first time, at sea level, takes my breath away. even though they’re a fair distance from us, the size and presence of these creatures really hits home. They move at their own speed, not ignorant of us, or the trawler; allowing us to absorb the fact that they are, really, the lords of this domain. Their exhalations are accompanied by large puffs of water and their surfacing shows us no more than one-third of their total size, but even that’s enough to think we’re lucky that they deem kayak-borne gawkers insignificant on the dietary front.

The paddling group pauses on its way across Johnstone Strait to West Cracroft Island, and Eagle Eye lookout.


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All too soon the show is over, leaving behind a calm and satisfied group of paddlers. We’re definitely lucky – not all groups spot orca, or see them this close. The paddle back to camp is – excuse the pun – buoyant. even waiting while a seiner finishes its loop – and wishing out loud that we could grab some of the salmon from the net for dinner – fails to dampen spirits. Oddly, but amusingly, our sea lion friend opts to join us again, this time entertaining us as it squabbles with seagulls over fish.

IN THE ENDWe only see orca that one day – but it takes nothing away from our next day and a half. Paddling up and down the Vancouver Island coastline, landing in sheltered bays for lunch, pausing to watch river otter scramble up and down rocky cliffs, observing gob-smacked as a huge log barge moves inexorably down the Strait, checking out the plethora of marine life below our kayaks, listening to Brian compose an orca-

calling song (to the tune of Yellow Submarine), or self-enlisting in the Orca Camp band - it’s amazing how different thicknesses and lengths of sea kelp produce, er, slightly different sounds - it all melds into a hugely memorable experience.

It is the last trip of the season for ecosummer expeditions, which means the entire Orca Camp is to be torn down and removed. It’s a hugely admirable thing – and one that, as we race north in the water taxi back to Port McNeill, really stands out about this adventure and its ability to keep visitors – and itself – immersed in the landscape, rather than competing against it. It also highlights one of kayaking’s most unique appeals: it put you right in the natural environ-ment, where you actually have to share with its other residents, rather than just plough over the top. Not that you’d have much luck bossing a five-and-a-half ton orca around. But then again, I guess we’re really just visitors, allowed by this native resident’s surprisingly good nature to stop and paddle a while.

THE ESSENTIALSGetting there: air Canada flies direct to Vancouver from Sydney, with connecting flights to Victoria, on Vancouver Island. www.aircanada.com Seeing the orca: Eco Summer Expeditions runs four-day/three-night or seven-day/six-night Orca Camp trips. the season runs from early July to early September. www.ecosummer.com. You can also book in australia through natural Focus Safaris. [email protected] Vancouver Island: Kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, cycle touring and hiking are all popular activities on the island. www.vancouverisland.travel Canada: It’s a massive country, full of all types of adventure travel opportunities, from paddling and trekking, to climbing and wildlife-spotting. Go to www.canada.travel to ensure you get all the information you need for your Canada experience. British Columbia: Visit www.britishcolumbia.travel for more information on BC.

Three orca pass between a distant seine fishing boat and the kayaks, oblivious to the excitement they cause among the paddlers.

ORCAS MINGLING WITH - Ecosummer Expeditions€¦ · The joys of a bush camp are many but one that always stands out is the, shall we say, ‘unique’ toilet experience. Orca Camp’s

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