Several hours earlier I had heard through a network of friends that Orca had been spotted in a particular area. I jumped straight into my car and drove through the night to the location. I boarded a boat before dawn and travelled two hours out into the deep blue to their last known coordinates in the hopes that they might still be in the area…

I had wanted to swim with Orcas since I was a child. I have always been fascinated by their intelligence. They have one of the largest brain-to-body ratios in the animal kingdom. Because of this large brain they are extremely social and emotional. Orcas even have their own language, and it can be so sophisticated that it contains distinct dialects between families and pods. Using this language, a complex array of whistles, squeaks, and pulses, they can strategize when hunting, socialize and express emotions.

However, there is nowhere in the world you can reliably swim with wild Orcas. To see them requires you to be at the right place, at the right time, in the right season. It also requires a lot of persistence, time in the water, and a little luck. I had relocated my life to Baja, Mexico because of its high density of year-round large marine animals, but specifically I hoped for the opportunity to get in the water with the Orcas.

I spotted the spray from their blow holes on the horizon a kilometer away, but it was another 20 minutes before I could see the dorsal fins breaking the surface. To my delight there was a pod of seven Orcas. The boat slowed 100 meters from them. If they were not feeling friendly, they could simply turn and avoid me or if spooked then they could dive deep and its unlikely I would see them again that day. This interaction would have to be on their terms.

As the captain yelled “vamonos!” I stepped into the water, with only one thing going through my mind…

📷 Image size: 6075 x 5096
🖼️ Edition size: 20
🌏 Location: Baja, Mexico
🗓️ Captured: June 2022