WATCH: Orca goes under kayak (Louis Jobidon)
One British Columbia man is taking his kayaking to a new level: by experiencing extreme close encounters with orcas.
Originally from Quebec, Louis Jobidon has been living in B.C. for 14 years. He found the whales’ feeding ground about seven years ago in a cove off Hornby Island, near his home.
Since then, he’s been venturing out in his kayak with his new camera, capturing his close encounters with the beautiful beasts. On Feb. 12, the orcas even swam under his kayak.
“They’ll stay and they’ll just hang out,” he told Global News. “I consider myself lucky; some people have lived here for 20 years and have never seen them.”
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Jobidon once saw 15 orcas at one time, the most he’s ever seen.
At this time of the year, Jobidon said that he can see them once a week, sometimes even four days in a row.
Jobidon said he’s not too afraid of the whales; he’s more worried about his camera getting wet.
“It’s definitely scary,” he said. “But I think I’d go swim with them if the water was warm.”
The whales break up the silence of the kayaking, he said. The time on the water, with the whales breaching, is somewhat therapeutic.
“I like to just sit on the water and have my time by myself,” Jobidon said. “I’m not really spiritual, but if I am in any way, that’s where it comes out.”
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