OCEANUS
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BAJA ORCA ENCOUNTER (with video)!!
While on the field study I lead with my high school students to Bahia de Las Animas, we had a break in the weather for several days which allowed us
to venture out from our camp. In the past, I have made several trips to front of Isla Angel de la Guarda; it's remoteness, abundance and sense of what
the ocean may have been like "back to the old days" has always appealed to me. "If the front side was this wild," I wondered, "...what would the even
more remote backside have in store?" I have always wanted to make a run around to the backside, but never could make it happen. This window of glassy
water was our chance!
We left with three passengers, myself and two others who planned to do some spearfishing. We crossed the Canal de Ballenas in about 35 minutes,
rounded the southern end of the island, and anchored off the east side of a rocky islet. After suiting up, both divers entered the water and began
their quest. I decided to try my luck on hook and line.
After about 5 minutes in the water, my friend surfaced to yell something to me, and when I asked him to repeat, I heard him say "Orcas!" Shortly
thereafter, three sea lions surfaced for a breath and quickly dove in the direction of the boat. I remember feeling disappointed in this
misidentification and wondered how my friend could mistake sea lions for Orcas. However, this sense of diappointment was dashed by the site of several
Orca erupting from the surface in their pursuit of the sea lions.
I had heard of Orcas in the Sea of Cortez before. Almost legendary, people would speak of two pods that inhabited the gulf; one friendly and the other
rogue. Stories of pangueros heading immediately to shore at the first glimpse of an Orca to save from being capsized conflicted with other accounts of
frienly encounters of child-like play, behavior and curiosity. I had always wondered what I would do if I had such an experience: do I flee or do I
stay to enjoy to show?
The sea lions darted under the boat and moved on towards to rocky shallows. The Orcas did not continue ther pursuit, but instead appeared intrigued by
the boat. The would swim in patterns along the sides, inverting themselves onto their sides/backs to observe me watching them over the rail as they
glided past. But what intrigued them most was the anchor line.
The tide was flooding, and the strong current stretched the anchor line so that it was taut. The Orca would take turns diving down to rub their
backs/bellies along the outstretched rope as if they were scratching their backs. Others would gently grab the rope in their mouth and tow the boat
and line up current, only to let go and allow the boat to return to its fast position. This behavior continued for several minutes, as those who were
waiting for some "rope time" swam revolutions around the boat, investigating its perimeter and occasionally popping their heads up to observe me.
I grabbed a camera that was on the boat and began snapping photos of the Orcas while standing atop the bow. After several photos, I switched the
camera over to video mode and recorded two short clips of the Orcas' behavior. By the time I had swiched over to video, most of the pod had moved on.
A mother and her calf remained and continued their anchor line playtime for several more minutes. All told, this encounter lasted for about 10-15
minutes.
Towards the end of the encounter, my friend who had first alerted me to the Orcas, had made it back to the boat after swimming upcurrent. He had just
reached the stern when the calf broke away from its mother and swam under the boat and straight towards him. The calf then circled around and pulled
up beside my friend, observing him for several seconds while hlding its position alongside him in the current. The calf then swam back to its mother,
and the they swam off together to meet up with the rest of the pod that was waiting a 150 yards or so upcurrent of the boat.
After sharing our accounts and looking at our footage, we having seen about 8-9 Orca in and around the boat. However, my friend who first saw the pod
said they approached him while he was underwater, and saw at least one male with it's towering dorsal fin. I never saw this male, nor did I capture it
on film. So we estimated the pod to be at least 10 Orca in number.
It's important to note that my friend had a similar encounter near Don Juan Point two summers prior. Albeit thoroughly frightened, he was never harmed
in either of his two experiences of being in the water with these magnificent and intelligent animals. They knew he was'nt food, and showed nothing
more than inquisitive behavior. Perhaps he had drawn the "good pod" card on both accounts, or perhaps the rogue pod stories are just that, stories. In
any case, this experience is something I will always look back on with the fondest of memories.
Here is a youtube link to some of the Orca footage we collected that day.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FmZI8pl__8
[Edited on 6-1-2012 by OCEANUS]
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mooose29
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What an incredible experience. Just another examplemof what makes Baja so incredible
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woody with a view
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i woulda crapped if i was still in the water..... pretty awesome!
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Mexitron
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Awesome!
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bufeo
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You had a remarkable experience. One you won't soon forget. Thanks for posting your account and the link to the video.
Allen R
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goldhuntress
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Wow, thank you.
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jbcoug
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Simply amazing, thanks for sharing!
John
\"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.\" Andy Rooney
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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what an amazing story and video...and your diver buddy has had this happen twice? I think he is an Orca whisperer...I wonder if these were residents
or transients? If they were going after sealions, they would be transients. I have heard scary stories from divers here about rogue Orcas and although
it is commonly believed that there is no danger being in the water with them....I would probably be cautious around them to say the least.
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gnukid
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Great video
It's unfortunate that the text you added promotes an organization responsible for land theft and resource exploitation under the guise of
'protection'? Why not remove the offensive and misleading text?
If you have questions about UNESCO do research on who, what, where and how and why UNESCO harms regions, exploits resources and has a long track
record of corruption and abuse of native cultures and people.
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Sallysouth
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That was great video! Mija Juanita and I and a friend of hers had a similar experience some years ago in the channel between Isla Danzante and
Carmen.Her friend who dives professionally, jumped in the water to swim with them!This guy can hold his breath for a very long time and dive deep.We
watched (holding our breath and swearing a bit) while they swam and checked each outher out.It was an experience I will never forget.It is here(the
story), I think ,in the archives, unless it was Amigos.Betcha DK knows!! They are awesome creatures.Ours must have been "the nice ones"
Happiness is just a Baja memory away...
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El Vergel
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That was very, very cool!!!! Thanks!
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watizname
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Very Cool. A few years back, my wife and I were fishing the Channel Islands, and had a pod of Orcas come up and hang at the boat, [20' Skipjack] for
about 20 minutes. It was amazing. Two big males, and maybe 6 or so females with two calves. 
I yam what I yam and that\'s all what I yam.
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Udo
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Very COOL, OCEANUS!
Thanks for sharing the video.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Ken Bondy
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That was spectacular OCEANUS! They really did seem to be fascinated with your anchor line. I've seen them many times in many oceans and each
experience was memorable. I was within touching distance of them twice underwater, once in the Solomons and once at Darwin Island in the Galapagos,
each time, of course, with the camera set up for macro.
I've never understood the fear of orcas. To my knowledge there has never been a documented instance of a wild orca harming a human anywhere in the
world. I have heard behavioral differences attributed to different pods but they have always referred to whether the pod feeds primarily on fish or
primarily on cetaceans and pinnipeds.
[Edited on 6-3-2012 by Ken Bondy]
carpe diem!
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LaPazGringo
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As with Ken, I don't understand why these guys are feared like Great Whites. I enjoyed the video. Do you have a version without all the drama and
propoganda. Just orcas?
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OCEANUS
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Location: Dana Point; L.A. Bay
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Thank you Nomads for the kind words, I'm glad that you all liked it.
For others insinuating propaganda or promotion, that was not the intent. The video was was placed on Youtube with the intent of targeting a larger
audience with relatively little to no knowledge of Baja and its inhabitants. The verbage about potection was factual, because these islands are
protected. It is what it is.
Ken, LP Gringo - I too tend to agree that there is a lot of misinformation regaring Orca. Perhaps its their synonym that leads people to think they
are an animal to fear. I'm far from an expert, but that's just what my experience, and that of those around me has led me to conclude.
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Ken Bondy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by OCEANUS
Ken, LP Gringo - I too tend to agree that there is a lot of misinformation regaring Orca. Perhaps its their synonym that leads people to think they
are an animal to fear. I'm far from an expert, but that's just what my experience, and that of those around me has led me to conclude.
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Agree, much of the irrational fear of Orcas results from the unfortunate selection of "killer whale" as their common name. As if all other predators
DON'T kill their prey. Amazing how people buy into that bullsh$$.
carpe diem!
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