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Steve wrote >
Steve -
*WHAT* have you been reading? <g> You're about as likely to have the Monster leap out and snatch you from the shore of Loch Ness. The only time Orcas will leave the water is in pursuit of a swimming animal that they are accustomed to hunting. I've heard of them going up on a sea lion haul-out rock in the Chiswell Islands and grabbing a sea lion, and a few years ago there were reports of a couple of Orcas chasing fleeing Beluga whales up onto the banks at the mouth of the Naknek River to retrieve them, but never have I heard of an Orca attacking a person on the shore, or even in a boat. I've logged thousands of miles exploring, fishing and hunting Alaska's coastline by skiff and I know some real old-timers, so I'm sure pretty sure I'd have heard about any such orca activity if it had occurred.
Except for a couple of rare exceptions (e.g., the Robertsons' famous shipwreck and 38-day survival in a lifeboat was started when an Orcas bashed their sailboat near Galapagos Is.), they won't even attack small boats. That's not to say I don't get apprehensive when they are near, though.
Once when making the crossing between Seward and Prince Wm. Sound I had a pod of about a dozen killers all around me. My 8 yr. old daughter was with me, and there were no other boats on the horizon. We saw the pod zipping back and forth, working a school of fish (salmon, no doubt) off in the distance. The school moved toward and then under us, and the whales followed. It was too rough to outrun them, so we just had to plod along, hoping the sound of the outboard and hull caught their attention. While I wasn't worried about them attacking us, I was concerned that they might accidentally capsize us, or knock one of us out of the boat, and I did *NOT* want to be in the water with them!
Their speed in the water is awesome to behold. When they passed close to the skiff they would slow down and eyeball us, at times close enough to swat with a paddle, though we didn't do that, of course. They were just curious about this strange boating species in their waters, but were mainly intent upon their job, which was catching those salmon. They passed on through, and we went on to our fishing camp to spend a few days catching salmon and halibut ourselves.
The real killer in Alaska is weather and accidents, not the wild animals. Knowing what you are doing is far more valuable than a big gun, as far as saving your life. I'm not saying an animal attack can't happen, just that focusing on that extremely remote possibility is not nearly as important as avoiding exposure, hypothermia and accidents.
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