She’s Not Alone
On a sunny day in mid-August, the inlet was as flat as any mirror. It lay without a ripple in the bright blue water as if time itself had been frozen. And without hesitation, Natasha dived in. The water moved softly around Natasha’s stretched body, caressing her cooly. But then she felt something else.
A patch of water, not too far from her, was bubbling furiously. It looked like something underneath the water was sending ripples to the surface in ever-widening circles. Adrenaline flooded Natasha’s system and she could feel her heartbeat in her throat. She knew she was no longer alone in the water.
A Weekend Getaway
It was a warm summer day when Natasha slammed the trunk on her boot and hopped into the driver's seat. “You guys ready for a good weekend,” she yelled out to her friends sat in the back. Their response? A cheer of applause.
Yes, the Herby Squad (named after their high school mascot) were excited for their weekend reunion at Lake Crystal, filled with memory-making, laughter, and all-round good vibes. But they had no idea their world was about to be turned upside down.
Toilet Break
The group of friends were halfway to their destination when one of them, Rich, needed a toilet break. So without hesitation, Natasha pulled up to a nearby gas station. But just as Rich got out the car, Natasha saw an elderly man was staring at her.
His skin was hidden behind layers of grime and his hair hung as a tangled mop of brown and grey. He waved at Natasha, curling his dirty long fingers and made his way over to her car. And a terrible feeling hit the pit of her stomach.
Strange Old Man
“Where you guys off to?” the old man asked, his breath smelling of alcohol. “We’re off to a lodge nearby,” Natasha replied, hesitant to give out information. “Port Hardy?” The man asks. But Natasha didn’t reply.
She didn’t want to tell him he was right. She didn’t want him to know where they were going. But the old man could tell by the look of her face, he was right. A crooked smile creeps on the old man’s face. “You just be careful in the water pretty lady,” he muttered before staggering back to his spot.
Driving As Fast As She Could
Rich arrived back at the car and jumped straight in. And without a second thought, Natasha slammed her foot on the accelerator, speeding away from the creepy old man.
Around an hour later, the group of friends finally arrived at the lodge. They pulled into their stunning weekend getaway, but little did they know what was in store for them.
The Perfect Weekend
After unloading the car, the girls got undressed into their swimming gear and the guys got the food and drink ready for a BBQ.
With the sun beaming down and the sound of laughter filling the air, it was supposed to be a perfect weekend for these friends. But they had no idea just how wrong they were.
Swimming In The Lake
While Natasha and her friends were swimming in the inlet, around two meters away, all of a sudden the water started to bubble. Natasha turned to look, and a feeling of anxiety crept up her spine.
It looked like something was underneath the patch of bubbling water. But what was it? Natasha didn’t care. She had to get out. This thing was getting closer by the second.
Get Out Quick
Natasha shouted to her girlfriends and pointed towards the bubbling water. “There’s something in here,” she yelled out. “Get out now,” she said before swimming as fast as she could to shore.
She could feel her heartbeat in her throat as she pushed the water with her hands. They had to be quick. Time was running out.
Watching The Lake
Natasha manages to get herself out of the water and helps her friends get out too. They wrap themselves up in bathrobes before shouting to the guys to come over.
The group of friends huddled together to watch as the water continued to bubble. But then something happened. And it was something nobody could have ever expected.
Revealing Themselves
Something grey began to emerge from the center of the bubbles, and then another. As they stood on the dock, the friends knew they were witnessing something spectacular.
They were, in fact, two whales -- slowly swimming around, with bubbles following them. What were they doing? Natasha knew she needed to find out the truth.
Finding Out The Truth
She whipped out her phone and started to google about whales and bubbles. And within a few minutes, she found the answer she had been looking for.
It turned out that these were humpback whales, and they were “bubble-net fishing” -- something that not many people have been lucky enough to witness first hand.
What A Sight
The group of friends couldn’t believe the sight before their eyes. It was interesting to watch, to say the least. But then the water stopped bubbling and a stillness lingered in the inlet. They had gone.
Natasha looked at her friends and their expressions were as surprised as hers. She knew that what they had just witnessed was extremely rare!
Great Bear Lodge
Great Bear Lodge is situated on the coastline of British Columbia. The floating lodge is right on the inlet, which is fed by the North Pacific Sea.
The lodge's location offers a unique opportunity to see wildlife up close. But Marg Leehane, co-owner of Great Bear Lodge, had never seen anything like this before.
Unique Sighting
Although Marg had seen humpback whales in the area before, she'd never seen them swim so close to the lodge. She's been working in the wilderness in B.C. for 17 years and has seen her fair share of incredible wildlife.
But she had never seen the whales employ this special hunting technique before.
Bubble Netting
The "bubble net" technique is learned rather than instinctual, and not all groups of humpbacks know how to do it. Seeing it up close was a special experience for Marg.
"One of them will swim in a circle around fish, and as it's doing it, it will release air from its blowhole, and basically create a net of bubbles,'' she said.
Special Memory
"Then the fish get more and more concentrated ... so [the whales] will get a lot more of them in each mouthful," Marg explained.
"Our guests, who have never seen anything like this before ... those people will go away with a memory they will never forget for the rest of their lives," she added. But nobody expected the reactions to her video.
Viral Post
Marg, luckily, had her camera ready and caught the unique encounter on camera. She posted it on Instagram with a caption.
"What an amazing morning - humpbacks came for breakfast! We’ve never seen them this close to the lodge before, and so fantastic to see them bubble netting. Nearly as good as the whales was the reaction of our guide, @Marlosha, who was pretty excited!" Marg wrote.
Popular
Since Marg posted the video on the Great Bear Lodge's Instagram and Facebook page, it's had over three million views and hundreds of comments.
"Oh, that is wonderful!" one commenter wrote, "What an amazing spectacle for you all! If only you could promise that for each group of guests. Luckily, we all have our own special moments whether it be whales, bears or other wildlife. Every moment at Great Bear Lodge is special!"
A First
“It was so cool to see them bubble netting so close, to see the fish jumping out of the way as the whales rose up,” Marg gushed in an interview.
“This is definitely the first time we’ve seen whales feeding so close to the dock!” She added. “The closest I’ve seen them feeding before is probably 200 meters [220 yards], so it was quite a surprise to us when they decided to come so close!”
Amazing Experiences
“We focus on bears out here of course, but we’re all wildlife geeks,” Marg told BNQT. “So we get really excited about seeing anything to do with nature, as you can see from the video!”
"Isn't that crazy!! If only those two humpbacks knew how famous they were," Marg continued. The sighting was definitely a very special one for the visitors and staff of Great Bear Lodge!