Spotting a pair of hungry wolves return to the same tidal spot on B.C.'s rainforest coast he's seen them come to for years, photographer Ian McAllister whipped into action: zipping up his dry suit, diving underwater, and submerging just a few metres from them.
“I thought I might have one opportunity to take a picture or two," he said Wednesday of the spring incident.
"Actually they immediately came into the water [to meet me]."
“One of them even grabbed my snorkel,” laughed the long-time wildlife photographer and conservationist.
The astonishing split-image photo – half underwater, half above -- is one of many in his new 200-page book: Great Bear Wild: Dispatches from a Northern Rainforest. He starts a book tour shortly, with a free event in Vancouver on Oct.24.
The book is his eyewitness to the elusive wildlife living where the rain forest meets the Pacific.
He's lived 25 years in the area, and now resides on the remote Denny Island, home to just 70 people, near where the wolves were spotted.
“I was really happy with that [wolf] image because I think it illustrates the connections between the ocean and the rain forest. People think they’re separate worlds – but they really support each other.”
“Wolves eat herring eggs, and herring of course come from the ocean – and there’s just so many relationships like that.”
“Same with black bears, grizzly bears and so many other species.”
McAllister’s book is his attempt to chronicle the great mysteries and biodiversity of the Great Bear Rainforest, and to advocate for the ecosystem's protection from oil sands pipelines and tankers.
“The Great Bear Rainforest really stands in the way of Asia’s insatiable demand for oil and gas, and Canada’s interest in sending it to Asia.”
Shot mostly in winter to avoid visibility problems from underwater plankton, McAllister scuba-dived the Great Bear Sea, as it's known to some, to get up close and personal with creatures in the frigid salt waters.
Take these stellar sea lions for instance. He spotted them in the Camaano Sound in Gitga’at territory -- a proposed tanker route.
Photo by Ian McAllister from Great Bear Wild: Dispatches from a Northern Rainforest, published by Greystone Books.
The giant sea mammals can weigh more than 1,000 pounds, and McAllister was tossed like a “rag doll” around 30 or 40 of them by powerful tidal waves.
“So with the sea swells going back and forth, it was fun because sea lions would go right past me, and then I’d go right past them.”
“The [sea lions] of course are so agile underwater, but we’re relatively clumsy."
Ian McAllister underwater -- photo by Tavish Campbell
The scariest part of the moment? Sea lions are like ‘aquatic grizzlies’ with big teeth.
“If you’ve seen a sea lion skull, it looks just like a grizzly skull.”
“They would sometimes come up right behind you and put their jaws right over your head."
“They’re a carnivore, and in they’re in their element, so you just have to have faith that everything’s going to be okay. The statistical odds of getting hurt weigh favourably for people.”
“The eat mostly small fish. Humans aren’t on the sea lion diet, so we got along pretty well.”
Photo by Ian McAllister from Great Bear Wild: Dispatches from a Northern Rainforest, published by Greystone Books.
One of his favourite shots is a rare white bear cub sandwiched between two black bears. The mother bears have a recessive gene that can produce white or black offspring, he said.
“You can have a white mom with a black cub, and vice versa.”
Protect this coast from oil urges photographer
McAllister said Canadians have an important decision to make about whether they want to protect this precious ecosystem from Alberta’s pipelines.
“Are we going to increase tar sands production, climate-changing production in Alberta, build these thousand-mile long pipelines, and place this amazing rainforest at risk, just to feed cars in Asia?”
“I think this book illustrates why people feel so passionately about this coast, and why people don’t want tankers here.
"It’s because this area still provides so much life, there’s still so much wild life, there’s humpback whales returning, fin whales are returning."
"First Nations are creating sustainable economies, so are stilling living in the village sites that have lived in for 10,000 years.
"We have everything to lose here.”
Proceeds for the book go to Pacific Wild – a wildlife conservation effort on the B.C. coast.
Starting October 22, McAllister will travel Canada-wide and internationally to share his stories.
Tour dates and ticket information
October 22 | Whistler Public Library 7pm 4329 Main St, Whistler, BC | By Donation |
October 23 | Squamish, public Library 6:30PM | By Donation |
October 24 | Vancouver, Canadian Memorial United Church 7PM 1825 W 16th Ave, Vancouver, BC | By Donation |
October 26 | Town Hall Seattle , Washington 7:30PM Doors open at 6:30 Downstairs at Town Hall - Enter on Seneca Street | CLICK HERE to purchase tickets - $5 FACEBOOK SITE - Please share and invite your friends and family |
October 27 | Bainbridge Island, Washington, 7 PM Eagle Harbor Books | FREE Visit Eagle Harbour Book Co. for more information about this event |
October 28 | Portland Audubon Society 7:30PM 5151 NW Cornell Rd, Portland, OR | Free - CLICK HERE for more information |
October 30 | Portland Patagonia Store 7PM 907 NW Irving St, Portland, OR | TBA |
November 3 | Vernon, B.C. - Okanagan College, Vernon Campus 7:30pm Science in Society Speaker Series 7000 College Way, Vernon, BC | Tickets - $7 in advance $10 at door |
November 6 | Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival The Banff Centre, Max Bell Auditorium 2PM | Tickets - $15 Purchase tickets by following this LINK FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |
November 8 | The Juniper Hotel, Banff, AB 6-7:30 PM | Special Event - Fireside Chat $35 Ticket includes refreshments and appetizers Contact The Juniper Hotel View on The Banff Centre website FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |
November 12 | Victoria, Alix Goolden Hall 7:30PM 900 Johnson St, Victoria, BC | General Admission - $12 BUY TICKETS HERE FACEBOOK EVENT SITE ALIX GOOLDEN HALL WEBSITE |
November 13 | Duncan - Quw'utsun' Centre, BC Quomeakin Room - 7PM 200 Cowichan Way, Duncan | By Donation FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |
November 14 | Sidney, BC Charlie White Theatre 7:30PM 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney | General Admission - $12 CHARLIE WHITE THEATRE TICKET SALES FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |
November 18 | Galiano Island, BC Galiano South End Hall- 7:30PM | By Donation FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |
November 19 | Campbell River, BC Tidemark Theatre 7:30PM 1220 Shoppers Row, Campbell River | General Admission - $12 THE TIDEMARK THEATRE TICKET SALES Special guest introduction by award winning author, journalist and energy expert Andrew Nikiforuk. FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |
November 20 | Courtney, BC The Sid Williams Theatre 7:30PM 442 Cliffe Ave, Courtenay | General Admission - $12 SID WILLIAMS TICKET SALES Special guest introduction by award winning author, journalist and energy expert Andrew Nikiforuk. FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |
November 21 | Powell River, BC The Max Cameron Theatre - 7PM 5400 Marine Ave. Powell River | Ticket Sales TBA FACEBOOK EVENT SITE |