'Magical experience': Kayaker stunned by orcas in North Vancouver

Kayaker Scott Suffron had a close encounter with orcas while out in the waters of Indian Arm Sunday, Aug. 25. (Courtesy: Scott Suffron/North Shore News)

Enjoyable company can turn a good kayak session into a great one, but in the case of Scott Suffron, it was two unexpected companions in the waters of Indian Arm that catapulted one kayak experience into core memory territory.

Sunday morning had been one like any other. Suffron, preparing for an upcoming kayak race at Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates Park), had left the banks of North Vancouver’s Lowry Waterfront Park for an early morning practice.

The event turned unique mere moments in, when Suffron spotted two whales coming up for air about half a kilometre ahead.

“I was heading towards them, and they were heading towards me, and I thought to myself, there’s a really good chance that we’re going to intercept each other at some point,” he said.

Suffron began “paddling a little harder” in their direction as the duo continued to breach. A spurt of water erupted into the air and one large fin sliced through the water's surface.

Equipped with both his GoPro and iPhone, Suffron started documenting the two as they breached to the left of his kayak.

A Pacific Whale Watch Association naturalist viewed the footage and shared that the whales are most likely Bigg's killer whales: the larger one likely an adult male, and the smaller of the two whales either a female or young male.

“It was super quiet and super peaceful, and there was no boat traffic. There was no noise from any engines or motors or anything, and the water was dead calm, and they were casually making their way," he said, adding how they were "in no hurry" to leave the area.

The encounter lasted around ten minutes before the two slowly began to make their way up Indian Arm, staying close to the coastline, said Suffron.

The experience marked Suffron’s second close encounter with whales, following a run-in in the summer of 2020 with a group of orcas by West Vancouver’s Whytecliff Park. Suffron, paddleboarding at the time, said he hadn’t been scared but had certainly been “alarmed” at being surrounded by such large creatures.

This time around, however, things felt different.

“I’ve never felt more at ease, it was just incredible. And I knew it was a super rare occurrence, so I just tried to stay in the moment and just really enjoy it.”

Suffron has been paddling this portion of the Indian Arm once or twice a week for the past four years, and knew that the killer whales were known to frequent the area, but had never seen them there himself, he said. He'd somehow always managed to take to the waters a day or two after or before their appearance, or even miss them by just a "couple of hours."

As a self professed wilderness lover who describes nature as his “religion” and “passion,” the encounter was one that can only be described as "breathtaking and humbling," he said.

“It was a magical experience, because I have such respect and reverence for these animals. I just felt blessed to even be there at that right moment.”

Suffron said he hopes his story will help reshape the public’s view of killer whales, who are often regarded as something to be feared when in the water.

“The message is, they’re very intelligent creatures, and I honestly don’t think they have a single interest in harming humans. They have their schedule. They have their preferred prey, and I felt more like a piece of driftwood, they didn’t even pay me a second glance,” he said.

“I don’t think people need to perpetuate any kind of stereotype about these animals, because they’re just majestic. I think we just need to appreciate them.”

Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.