The Perfect End [a rendition of the last glimpse I got of the southern residents]On April 24th, 2025, my dream came true in a much bigger way than I could've ever imagined. Down below, I wrote a little something about this magical moment. There is an anti-AI filter on this btw, I hope it doesn't ruin it too much.
As we made our way back to the harbor, the boat came to an unplanned stop. We had already seen Bigg's (mammal-eating) killer whales, so I had thought "oh, wow, they found a humpback whale."
One of the naturalists comes down into the lower level where we were sat. He looks startled and joyous—like a kid on Christmas morning.
"We've just found some more killer whales, and they may be the endangered southern residents," he said.
...
What?
My mind turns into a blank loading screen, unable to process the words that left his mouth. It's illegal to search for or approach the southern residents, even for whale watching companies. To find them, it is based on pure chance and a miracle. They choose their moment.
"We only see these guys two or three times a year," another naturalist says. You can hear the awe in her voice—she definitely wasn't expecting this to happen today, nor anytime soon.
I leave my seat and go outside, onto the upper deck of the huge catamaran. All around me is the familiar waters of my home, glistening with the late afternoon sun. I forgot my sunglasses, and the white water is blinding.
None of that matters when their dorsals appear like magic, exhales drifting into the sky as if they were adding clouds to the clear blue blanket above. It's a female—assumed to be J42. The sun reflects against her glossy black skin, mesmerizing as she sparkles. I swear it's like someone dumped a pound of glitter glue onto her back. How can one animal look so magical?
[Pictured] A playful tail fluke splashes onto the water's surface, as another family member takes a deep breath. They both dive, and the boat moves on, as not to disturb them in case they're foraging. I'm left standing on the deck, dumbfounded, staring at the spot where they disappeared.
People say "you're not the main character" and that the universe does not center around you. But when you're at such a low point in life, and something truly extraordinary happens that you didn't even think was possible, and it feels like the stars lined up to make it happen for you, and you feel as though these animals could tell how much you needed them—it's hard not to think that.
Until next time, my flippered friends.
Shoutout to these special whales:
J pod
Galiano
Spouter
Nan
Nat
Charlie II
•••
Artwork by artsyfossil may not be used to train AI, stolen, edited, traced, copied, or sold as an NFT.
Furthermore, artwork by artsyfossil may not be reposted to any social app/site account that is not run by artsyfossil (with the exception of in-app sharing features), unless you are the rightful owner of the character/animal depicted (or, in the case of fanart, you are associated with the company that owns the character/IP.)Apr 27, 2025
As we made our way back to the harbor, the boat came to an unplanned stop. We had already seen Bigg's (mammal-eating) killer whales, so I had thought "oh, wow, they found a humpback whale."
One of the naturalists comes down into the lower level where we were sat. He looks startled and joyous—like a kid on Christmas morning.
"We've just found some more killer whales, and they may be the endangered southern residents," he said.
...
What?
My mind turns into a blank loading screen, unable to process the words that left his mouth. It's illegal to search for or approach the southern residents, even for whale watching companies. To find them, it is based on pure chance and a miracle. They choose their moment.
"We only see these guys two or three times a year," another naturalist says. You can hear the awe in her voice—she definitely wasn't expecting this to happen today, nor anytime soon.
I leave my seat and go outside, onto the upper deck of the huge catamaran. All around me is the familiar waters of my home, glistening with the late afternoon sun. I forgot my sunglasses, and the white water is blinding.
None of that matters when their dorsals appear like magic, exhales drifting into the sky as if they were adding clouds to the clear blue blanket above. It's a female—assumed to be J42. The sun reflects against her glossy black skin, mesmerizing as she sparkles. I swear it's like someone dumped a pound of glitter glue onto her back. How can one animal look so magical?
[Pictured] A playful tail fluke splashes onto the water's surface, as another family member takes a deep breath. They both dive, and the boat moves on, as not to disturb them in case they're foraging. I'm left standing on the deck, dumbfounded, staring at the spot where they disappeared.
People say "you're not the main character" and that the universe does not center around you. But when you're at such a low point in life, and something truly extraordinary happens that you didn't even think was possible, and it feels like the stars lined up to make it happen for you, and you feel as though these animals could tell how much you needed them—it's hard not to think that.
Until next time, my flippered friends.
Shoutout to these special whales:
J pod
Galiano
Spouter
Nan
Nat
Charlie II
•••
Artwork by artsyfossil may not be used to train AI, stolen, edited, traced, copied, or sold as an NFT.
Furthermore, artwork by artsyfossil may not be reposted to any social app/site account that is not run by artsyfossil (with the exception of in-app sharing features), unless you are the rightful owner of the character/animal depicted (or, in the case of fanart, you are associated with the company that owns the character/IP.)Apr 27, 2025
#killerwhale
#orca
#cetacean
#whale
#ocean
Comments
No comments yet