Childhood friendship with dolphin inspires B.C. man to pursue passion on ocean
You hear them before you see them. But before that, Gary Sutton says, you smell them.
“They stink,” Gary laughs after focusing his camera on dozens of sea lions lounging around the marina. “They stink, but I do love them.”
But sea lions can’t compare to his true love.
“At the end of the day, they are on the menu for my favourite species, killer whales,” Gary smiles.
But before he saw orcas in B.C. as an adult, Gary was befriended by a dolphin in Florida as a boy.
“I still remember being completely awestruck,” Gary says.
Young Gary was sitting beside the ocean on vacation when a dolphin swam up to him and started making sounds.
"I didn’t really know what to do as I sat there with it,” Gary says.
The dolphin seemed to be just as curious about him as he was about it.
“Then I started walking along the sea wall and (the dolphin) would follow me down and do barrel rolls.”
And it kept happening every day after. For the rest of Gary’s vacation, the dolphin would approach the boy and they would go for daily walks together.
“You’re looking down and it’s looking back at you with this contemplative eye,” Gary says. “There’s something deeper there.”
It inspired an enduring interest in underwater animals which later led to meeting a curious baby fur seal (that would bite his GoPro camera) and one of its equally exuberant parents (who lunged out of the water at him).
It also led to questioning his unrelated career.
“And I just remember being home one night and having a really terrified moment of seeing my whole life down the road,” Gary says.
So the next day, Gary started looking for a way to pursue his passion, and moved across the country to the west coast.
“I was just excited to chase some sort of dream to work with whales,” Gary says.
He volunteered at an aquarium, which led to working as a naturalist on the ocean, and eventually trying to capture orcas with his camera — including one particular whale named Blackberry.
“He’s kind of the supermodel of the southern resident world,” Gary smiles.
Thanks to Blackberry's unique markings and charming personality, Gary was able to spot and connect with him regularly.
“And show a mutual curiosity,” Gary says. “Much like that dolphin did.”
That led Gary to taking countless pictures of Blackberry in the water, and one extraordinary photo of him leaping completely out if it.
“And the fact that I was there in the right position to capture it is, for me, better than winning the lottery.”
And now that Gary works full-time researching ocean animals, he couldn’t be more grateful to that dolphin who inspired the boy to keep connecting with the water in wonder.
“You know, life is too short to waste time and not do what you love,” Gary smiles.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's 'most wanted terrorist' arrested on gun charges in Canada
One of India's most wanted terrorists has been arrested and charged in connection with a recent alleged shooting in Ontario.
12-year-old boy charged in stabbing of 11-year-old boy at Edmonton McDonald's
The boy stabbed at a north Edmonton McDonald's last Friday is 11 years old.
What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do
Medical experts agree that walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. While it’s not the only sort of exercise people should do, it’s a great first step toward a healthy life.
U.S. Congress hosts second round of UFO hearings
The U.S. government held another UFO hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, the second such hearing in 16 months. This hearing was billed as an attempt by congress to provide a better understanding of what is known about previous sightings of UFOs, also known as UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).
Toronto teenager charged with first-degree murder in Kitchener, Ont. homicide
A Toronto teen has been charged as part of an investigation into Kitchener, Ont.’s first homicide of 2024.
Spy service officer denies threatening Montreal man who was later imprisoned in Sudan
A Canadian Security Intelligence Service official has denied threatening a Montreal man who was later imprisoned and allegedly tortured by authorities in Sudan.
Donald Trump picks Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor.
This Canadian airline will adopt Apple's new AirTag feature to help recover lost baggage. Here's how
Apple announced that a new feature, 'Share Item Location,' will help users locate and recover misplaced items by sharing an AirTag location with third parties including airlines.
Canada bracing for 'tough' talks as Trump's pick calls northern border an 'extreme vulnerability'
The Canadian government is aware it's likely in for 'tough conversations' with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's administration, after his border czar said there is 'an extreme national security vulnerability' he intends to tackle at the Canada-U.S. border.