Orca-Strations

Orca-Strations

Pictures just can’t reflect
the moving experience
of seeing two pods of Orca whales
pass right by my feet
as they gracefully headed north
up the west side of San Juan Island
on Sunday.

I lost count,
but there may have been
about thirty of them
gliding
across-and-in-and-out-and-briefly-above-and-back-
in the water.

Another magic ingredient
that my camera can never capture
is the otherworldly sound
of the whales’ breath.
Riveting, soothing, reassuring…
amplified over water,
the whooshy,
slightly hollow,
calmly paced blowing
can be heard even before
the Orcas themselves
catch your attention.
And with adult dorsal fins
reaching six feet high,
they DO catch it.

It was especially emotional for me
viewing this slow motion parade
of the ocean’s gifts,
as the week before
I had finished the final tweaks
of a very involved mix
of a brand new piece titled
Below,
for contrabass flute and electronics,
which very prominently features
a haunting humpback whale song.
Listeners can immerse themselves
for almost eleven minutes
in this sonic underworld.

What I wanted to share
was the sense of hope
and peace
that an encounter
with these creatures
brings to anyone lucky enough
to be near them.

Alex Shapiro August 2008