Adorably Domestic Here and Away

In 2009 I was living in Ketchikan, Alaska. It was a fine time, I was meeting new people and one time—I “swam” with Killer Whales.

It was a hot June evening, there were rumors that orcas had been spotted feeding in the channel. Lots of other people had heard the news too, and had pulled off the road to watch. Along the edge of the road were a series of boulders meant to keep cars from driving over the edge and into the ocean. Logically, we decided to stand up on the boulders to spot the whales more easily.

The orcas were swimming back and forth in the channel eating fish, and as they moved we stepped from rock to rock. I went to leave one boulder, but didn’t make it to the next.

I began sliding down this steep embankment. I never screamed, and honestly my first thought when I began to fall was, “really?! They couldn’t make a buffer area?” I tried to pull at sticks and plants as I slid quickly down, but they were all ripping away in my hands. I felt oddly calm. There was nothing I could do.

I must have blacked-out in shock, the next thing I remember is landing in the ocean. The water where I ended up was deep enough that I became fully submerged. This was a huge stroke of luck— had it been shallow water I would have probably hit my head against a rock and wouldn’t be writing this today. Once I rose back up to the surface, I tasted the water in my mouth. That surprising and unpleasant salty taste motivated me to get out.

My aunt, uncle, and friends who had been up at the top instructed me to stay where I was. It didn’t take long for Linda and Hillary to get down to me. We started climbing back up when we noticed that the orcas were swimming over to investigate the commotion.

They were huge. It’s amazing. I still hold the images in my mind of one whale arching his back. The dorsal fin rose out of the water beautifully draped in kelp. Another got even closer. He rolled over on his side to get a better look at us with his huge, black eye.

Reaching the top of the cliff, I stood up to brush some of the grime off of myself. I was okay and safe again. Back inside, I examined myself for injuries. Just some scratches and a sore ankle. I knew I’d have to explain what happened to my parents, but ultimately I think back on that evening as a positive experience. I learned that I’d be okay if I really was about to die and that when I really need to, I can get myself to safety. More broadly, I learned that the beauty of nature overwhelms its brutality.