Breathtaking encounter with humpback whales captured by B.C. filmmakers

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. 

What happened next blew their minds.

"Staring into the eye of a humpback whale is an experience like no other,” said filmmaker Jonah Lee-McNamee, who was among six people on the expedition.

Lee-McNamee said the group spotted two whales in the distance, and killed the boat’s motor in an attempt to keep their distance – but the humpbacks apparently had other plans.

"We didn't get close to the whales, the whales got that close to us. They chose to approach us out of their own curiosity,” said Lee-McNamee.

He recounted looking down and seeing one whale swimming directly under the boat.

“I’m freaking out,” he recalled. “If these whales wanted to, they could have just flipped us over easily – they’re massive creatures,”

But Lee-McNamee said about half an hour into the encounter, the crew started to sense they were in the presence of gentle giants.

"These whales, despite their size, have incredible agility, and the way they moved in the water was like watching a dance,” he said. “We just said, OK, let’s just enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience.” .

Lee-McNamee, the son of CTV News Vancouver anchor Mi-Jung Lee, will direct the documentary, “Hope for the Humpbacks,” about the return of humpbacks to B.C.

He hopes the film will be ready some time in 2025, so that others can catch a catch a glimpse from that breathtaking experience.

"All of us on the crew kind of felt like it was a divine moment that these whales came to play with us for our humpback whale documentary,” Lee-McNamee said. “We’re just so thankful that these whales chose us.”