Male Orca buy DSC6678

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“Orcas as a spiritual encounter”

Orcas are amazing! In my opinion, no other cetacean can ever come close to their beauty, intelligence and grace of movement. Glossy white patches of distinctive patterns highlight their shiny black skin as they glide through the water in unison. Truly breathtaking to see!
The orcas found around Newfoundland are considered ‘transient' whales. They feed almost exclusively on marine mammals and they roam widely along the coast. Their visits are fleeting but when you encounter them it's like magic! Time stops and they take you into their world!

I had a feeling that summer. I just knew I would see them. I wished it so enthusiastically that I waited patiently in my bay for them to appear, afraid to travel elsewhere and miss my opportunity to connect with them. It was a glass calm day and started off with low hanging fog that clung to parts of the shoreline. Around noon the fog lifted but on a day like that it is hard buy to “spot” in the far distance due to mirages on the horizon. Never the less I looked hard…Nothing. We did see Sperm Whales, Minkes and dolphins but I was looking for something else. I used my binoculars to scan…no luck…yet I had this FEELING. When it comes to orcas we have a rule on board that no one calls it unless you are absolutely 100% sure. In the distance I spotted something black. It looked like 3 sticks that were sticking out of the water but just as quickly they disappeared. My heart started pounding. I had mistaken before so I kept it to myself, but my heart told me otherwise. Could this be my lucky day? At one point I saw, just below the fog, black fins again. Could it be them?! And again black fins, which look like tall, black sails! Now for the third time I was absolutely sure. ”It's Them!, They're here!, ORCAS!” I knew there were many and I counted 14 of which 3 were large males. I could not believe what I was treated to. Orcas on a flat calm day. Already I knew that my photos were going to be amazing. Orcas on reflective, still water! We travelled with the whales for about 4 hours. I can not explain the feeling I had when I actually saw them that day only that it was like winning the lottery or better!

At one point they all stopped and sat on the water for a few moments. Then they all turned and came strait for the boat, all of them. Although migrating they decided to check us out. And that is exactly what I love about them. They are in control. They are watching you! Some lay still next to us others just swam under the boat and surfaced inches away from us. You can see in their eyes that they look directly into your soul. It is more than watching a whale. It is a spiritual experience. You can sense their grandness and their power. You know what they are capable of and yet they won't hurt you. All they want is to interact and to check you out. It is by far the best experience you can have, being out there in an 18 foot wooden speedboat in beautiful Bonavista Bay.

Enjoy your photo of this spiritual and highly intellectual cetacean called Orcinus Orca!