I am not sure how I got this photo. It all happened very quickly & was right at the end of the encounter I had with this family/pod of orca. It was a mum & her two little ones, whom began to pick up their speed in the bumpy conditions that we had just south of Victoria, BC.
When orca began to move quickly it does make taking a decent photograph a bit more difficult, due to the less time they are at the surface. The surface behaviour they demonstrate when moving quickly is known as porpoising, this is when their whole body or partially body will be out of the water, as they come to the surface to breathe.
However, as I mentioned that when they are moving quickly then that time they spend at the surface does drop drastically. It is all about predicting when and where they are going to surface - it does take some time BUT if you relax and have patience you will see a pattern. They are very predictable animals after you spend some time with them and that is the key thing. Take your time, give them some space and then life becomes a tad easier when attempting at taking a perfect snap.
This shot I lined up and knew where they were and lifted the camera, as it was about time for them to surface. About a second later, the little ones surfaced and I started to capturing images, as mum exploded from behind the little ones. I was happy with that shot, considering the the challenging weather conditions.
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