Just getting to Shearwater British Columbia is an adventure, it is one of many small islands along the BC coast. Here is how I got here. Two flights brought us to Bella Bella, BC, a small island and population 1800. The second of these flights, which was the most hair raising flight I have ever had in all my years of traveling, landed us in pouring rain and no visibility, where we deplaned and crammed into a van which drove us to the boat docks. In a hard driving rain we boarded a large boat which navigated between the hundreds of islands to the small village of Shearwater, population 75.

The scary flight started out in sunshine and warm temperatures. Taking off was completely uneventful but it wasn’t too long before the 15 passenger twin engine prop was flying into pea-soup. Rain, wind and no visibility. I was sitting right behind the pilot so I was looking over his shoulder seeing if I could see anything. Pure white is all I can see out the windshield. Watching the GPS I could see we were rapidly approaching our destination but without the GPS there would be no way of knowing where we were. Keeping an eye on the altimeter I was wondering when we were going to break out under the cloud deck and start seeing the ground during the approach. Figuring about a thousand feet would be standard altitude when we might be able to see something I was completely disappointed when it was still pure white.

Eight hundred feet I could see nothing, six hundred feet nothing, at four hundred feet the faint outline of some trees and a runway was right in front of us. In less than 10 seconds we were navigating the high winds and attempting to land. This was one of those times I wish I was seated in the back of the plane so I couldn’t see what was going on. I must admit this was one of the scariest landings I have ever experienced.

So you may be wondering what brings me to this remote part of Canada? I am in search of a white bear also known as the Spirit Bear. From this tiny village consisting of a dozen or so buildings, I am boarding a 71 foot sail boat which will sail northward up the inside passage in search of the Sprit Bear.

Only one problem, the weather radio aboard the sail boat is crackling a constant stream of warnings of hurricane force winds and seas of up to 6 meters, which is 18-20 foot. On board is the captain, a single mate / cook and a handful of photographers all are in search of the elusive white bear. Decisions need to be made about if we are to set sail or stay tied to the dock.

Our captain who has been sailing these waters for nearly 30 years gives us two choices. Stay tied up for two days or try and beat the storm and get out into the channel and find a protective cove and set anchor and ride out the storm. Over-whelming we vote to stay put. Less than an hour later the captain fires up the engines and pushes off from the dock. Apparently things have changed and we are heading out.

The inside passage is truly an amazing place with forest covered mountains descending right down to the water. The trees in this region are old growth cedars and hemlocks with massive trunks. A half a day travel through the wilderness brings us to a small protective bay. Just minutes after setting anchor we spot a wolf on the shore near the boat. We jump into the zodiac and head out to see if we can get some shots. For the next 20 minutes or so we follow the wolf as she walks along the shore.

The wolf is calm and comfortable with us on the zodiac and is traveling with a purpose. Soon we find the purpose, she slowly stalks up to a small creek and darts into the water grabbing a large salmon. She emerges from the water with her prize, water dripping from her fur, and a mouth full of fish. Yes, that is right, wolves are eating fish. These coastal wolves take advantage of the abundant fish and regularly go fishing. The sun has set and it’s starting to get dark so we turn the zodiac around and head back to the sail boat. It has been a good, although rainy start to this adventure. The days ahead will bring us to the real objective of this trip–the spirit bear. The spirit bear is an all white black bear that only occurs in the temperate rainforest of British Columbia. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be lucky enough to see and photograph this truly rare bear. Until next time

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the world to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on twitter and facebook or at naturesmart.com