Spirit Bear - The Catch

A spirit bear snags a silver salmon. Biologists think the white coat makes them more successful when fishing. From the perspective of a fish looking through white water and upwards to the sky, it is a lot easier to detect a black coat, than a white one.

After snorkeling and successfully catching a Silver Salmon, a Spirit Bear shakes off his wet coat. It took me four trips to the Great Bear Rainforest before I had the privilege of photographing the Spirit Bear. It is a rare subspecies of black bear that lives only along the central and northern coast of BC. There are less than 400 Spirit bears in existence, making them one of the rarest bears on the planet. 

The Dive

A humpback whale dives to begin bubble-net feeding in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Grizzly Cubs in the Great Bear Rainforest

Two grizzly bear cubs watch and learn as mom fishes for salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Humpback Whale Bubble-net Feeding

Bubble-net feeding is a strategy requiring remarkable intelligence and teamwork. The lead whale lunges first and locates the fish, while the other whales follow taking the same formation each time. Once the fish are located, the lead whale begins blowing bubbles which functions as a net trapping the fish. Using vocalizations, the whales communicate when to blow more bubbles, and at what point to simultaneously rise to the surface with open mouths and swallow the fish.

The Spirit Bear

“In the beginning of time, the world was white with ice and snow. The creator, Raven, came from heaven and made the world green as it is today. But he wanted to make something to remind the people of the beginning so they would be thankful for the lush and bountiful land of today. So, Raven made one in every ten black bears white to remind the people of a time when glaciers covered this land." Spirit Bear Lore of the Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation

The Spirit Bear is a rare subspecies of black bear that lives only along the central and northern coast of BC. There are less than 400 Spirit bears in existence, making them one of the rarest bears on the planet. Spending several hours last week with this young male as he fished for salmon was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had in the wild.

Great Bear Rainforest

This large male grizzly was certainly one of the most memorable encounters from my recent time in the Great Bear Rainforest. It was clear he dominates this section of river, but his missing ear and torn lip indicate his dominance comes at a cost.