Andrew S. Wright's Great Bear Expedition: Day One/Two Cetacea Lab — Gil Island
Missed the first blog posting? Read it here.
Suddenly Vancouver and all the luxuries of modernity seem very remote. It takes two days to get here flying via float plane from Prince Rupert. Arriving at Hartley Bay is always a joy — literally it is such a welcoming community. The float plane dock is no more than 200 yards from the boat yet Janie and I meet friends and acquaintances from trips past, it literally takes us 30 minutes to walk the two hundred yards to Janie’s Boat.
I hate layovers, hanging out in hotels waiting for planes does not incite enthusiasm — the notion that the journey is the prize, not the destination is lost on me. But Prince Rupert was full of surprises for I am persuaded to grab supper at the casino by the hotel concierge. I am sceptical, yet I take her word for it, as casinos are not in my nature. I am pleasantly surprised with an excellent salmon supper but the real gem in the journey is Rose, the waitress. Rose leaves me stunned, for a simple question on the issues of the pipeline triggers an immediate response. Articulate and informed, Rose immediately details the importance of a vital ecosystem for a healthy and vibrant wild fishery.
Everybody in Rupert is against the pipeline, Rose states quite emphatically. “We all either work or play in the ocean,” she says. “It is vital to our well-being. I love to sport fish and to lose it to an oil accident is unthinkable.”
With equal certainty she states, “I am not worried, for it will not happen. Our local First Nations will stop it they are so informed and powerful.”
Wow — respect, confidence and certainty all in a single sentence. I share her sentiment but I also think every B.C. citizen should make their voice heard too, in support of the First Nations and stopping the pipeline. Rose is rare. It is a long time since I met a young person so in tune with her environment rather than an iPod. It leaves one with hope.
The flight to Hartley Bay is spectacular over the coastal mountains flying at low altitude, clipping the mountains tops and falling into the valleys. François, the pilot, lets me open the window to grab a few shots. If only he would yaw to the left and drop his wing I would get that fabulous shot — but these ideals are not to be for the cabin passengers might not appreciate the ride!
- Photo: Andrew S. Wright
Janie, the co-founder of Cetacea lab, is waiting for me. The whale research lab is situated on the southern end of Gil Island and is still quite a few boat hours away. But we are in prime whale territory and Janie encountered orcas on the way to Promise Island in the morning. She bundles me into a survival suit and we are off. It’s going to be a long day, for Janie reckons we should take the long way to maximize our chances of encountering whales. About an hour later we heave to and drift with the hydrophone listening for whales. No whales, but we get caught in a powerful tidal current that appears out of nowhere. We drift through but for about 1 km the rip spins the boat at will. The implications for a moribund vessel with steerage or power failure are acute. The day is punctuated by similar listening drifts as we find our way south — at about 5 p.m. we encounter a massive fin whale sleeping, barely buoyant. At the 500 metre mark the whale awakes, dives and is gone. The animal was massive. Even from a distance it seemed to eclipse the humpbacks of my previous encounters. By 6 p.m., we are on shore at the Cetacea lab. The new research lab built since my previous visit is phenomenal — perfect for watching over channel.
Herman, also a lab co-founder, welcomes me ashore — it’s been six months since we last met and I am looking forward to catching up on their latest research. The lab is about to start researching whale song evolution, something that they have wanted to do for some time but now their acoustic data base is only just becoming sufficiently rich. But supper and warmth strip my last few calories and I am nodding into a sleepy comatose state. The discussions will have to wait — I am simply shattered.
UPDATED - Check out Andrew's current location on Google maps!
