Bula from Fiji!
Well I’ve been in Fiji now for 3 weeks so thought I’d give you guys an update on what I’ve been up to and tell you much how I’m enjoying conducting research on dolphins in a tropical paradise (yep, it’s that good!).
I arrived into Fiji on May 11 and was in Suva for the first few days sorting out some things with my supervisor, then it was off to Takalana Retreat, the place I would be calling home for the next month or so. After over 3 hours in a van, the final hour and a half of which was spent on a butt-cheek numbing rough dirt road, we arrived to Takalana and hopping out of the van and heading down to the two small bure’s (villas if you will) my jaw just dropped. The view from them was absolutely incredible. The place is located on the NW coast of the main island of Viti Levu and overlooks the ocean where you can see various Fijian islands off in the distance. It’s hard to describe in words without actually seeing pictures, so the link below is to my facebook pics that I’ve posted from my time in Fiji so far. I’ve also put the link to the Takalana website (very simple, but if you wanna stay there, which I recommend you do, the contact details are on the site).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2254551&id=10617245&l=f9e87b91d7
http://takalana.blogspot.com
It really is a magical spot, a best kept secret I guess. It only sleeps 10 in total (2 bure’s of 4 and 6 beds, queen bed and bunks in each). I stay in one of the bure’s when there aren’t guests so I’m lucky to get a queen bed with an ensuite. When we have guests, which are mostly ex pats from Suva on the weekend (during week very quiet), I sleep in a little Fijian hut nearby which is quite cosy, but fine nonetheless. I’m a guest there so I’m treated like one even if I’m the only one there. Food is cooked for me everyday which is delicious. I’m having soo much fresh fish, fruit and Fijian vegetables I’m feeling healthier on the inside as every day goes by! In Suva now as I write this and have been trying to have as much beef as I can because I know when I go back to Takalana tomorrow (Thurs) it’s back to fish and chicken. Been eating a lot of rice and stir fry out there also. There’s no electricity in Takalana, so we have a generator that runs from about 6-10pm each night that is used to power some lights and that’s when I charge my laptop and camera batteries etc. The view from my bedroom window and from the table where I eat and work is pretty much breathtaking. I sit alone and eat most nights because I’m the only guest there. The serenity is very nice, hearing the waves crash on the beach, but I must admit it is nice when guests are around. There is a cook/cleaner named Vule who is always around. Her English is pretty good and we get on really well. When we have more than a few guests a couple of young girls from the local village (of which there are two) they come up and help. The manager is a young Fijian guy (by young I mean 30) named Jay who is the one that takes me out on the boat and we eat together when he’s around. We get on unbelievably well, joking around all the time, and as a result have become good mates. He’s really really appreciative of me being there as I’m teaching him all about the dolphins and about taking tourists out to see the dolphins and how to operate a boat around the dolphins (given the experience I have on tourism boats and the readings I’ve done). The research I’m doing is helping his business out because nothing is known about these spinner dolphins that come to Moon Reef, but I’m still extremely appreciative of my supervisor Cara for organising and liaising with Jay to get this research done. It’s been a lot of work to get this to happen, but it’s a win win for both Cara and myself, and for Jay and his business as he is actually the only official dolphin watch place in Fiji. The business is still very young, and Jay is always learning, and he always thanking me for being here and helping him out, when it’s actually him I should be thanking (which I do of course) for allowing me to stay and conduct my research.
So now a bit about my research. While staying at Takalana I’m looking at a population (30-40 individuals) of spinner dolphins that come into a place called Moon Reef (photo is on Jay’s website) that is approx. 20min by boat from the beach at Takalana. The dolphins come into the protected reef in the early morning and rest (“sleep”) during the daytime, then leave between 3 and 4 pm every day to head to deeper waters to feed at night (similar behaviour has been observed in spinner dolphins in Hawaii). My research is determining if it is the same individuals that are returning to Moon Reef, and I do this by taking photos of their dorsal fins and looking for distinctive markings (nicks, scars, shape etc). I take photos at every encounter every day and then have been using the photos to determine re-sightings and thus site fidelity. So far I have noticed that there are definitely re-sightings, but how many it is too early to determine (you need quite a large data set, and I only have 11 days so far). I’m also looking at behaviour to determine if these animals are actually resting, and for how long during the day. I’m still yet to do a full day of observations and go there really early to see what time they enter the reef, but that will be done in the next couple of weeks. They call them spinner dolphins because they actually jump out of the water and spin on a longitudinal axis, up to seven revolutions before they hit the water again. Pretty spectacular! I have some pretty good shots of this and will send out a link later so you can see these acrobatic animals in action.
Generally after my photo-ID and behavioural observations are done (1-2 hours total a day) I go for a snorkel around the reef. I invested in one of those Olympus utough cameras that are waterproof and shockproof before I came here and man has it been worth it. It’s awesome to take photos of coral and fish underwater. I’m hoping to be able to use it to get some underwater footage and maybe even determine the sex of some of the dolphins. We’ll see. After data collection and some snorkelling (weather dependent of course) I head back to Takalana and then enter the data onto my laptop. I’m keeping very busy with all the work I have to do, but I have been lucky enough to see a few things and get some real Fijian cultural experiences.
There are two villages near Takalana, both on the beach, the closest of which Jay is from and his father is the head (not an official chief like some other villages but pretty much the same). His father is 86 years old, kayaks a couple of kilometres every day dragging a fishing line behind his kayak, no bait, just small pieces of hessian bag around the hook and the line attached to a bleach bottle. He caught 56 fish the other morning! Amazing! When I went kayaking to the mangroves a couple of weeks back I tried my hand at this fishing style, and actually caught two fish! I’ve never caught a fish without bait before, let alone being on a kayak pulling it in with my hands then having to use my drinkbottle to whack the fish on the head so it would stop flapping around in the back of my kayak. It was a really cool experience, and I earnt my dinner, well I actually caught it that night! I think it’s amazing how simply these people in the villages live and how they live pretty much purely off the land. Everything is so fresh, and I’ve had my fair share of Fijian dishes. I went to Jay’s village the other day for Mother’s Day and had a real Fijian village experience. It was the only day of the year where the men cooked and the women ate first. There’s only about 100 people in this village and so I was with the men (the only white man of course, kids staring at me at all the time) and after the women finished we went into the small hall (a big room basically) and sat down on the bamboo mats with the food lined up in two lines. You sat either side of the food, legs crossed, and ate. They gave me a spoon but most men were using their hands to eat off their plate. There never seems to be a shortage of food in the villages as they grow pretty much everything (things like bananas, pineapples, coconuts, peanuts, kasava and taro (roots that tastes like potato) and otta (leafy stringy plant that is really nice in coconut milk). Many fish dishes are had which is one of the reasons I think they live such a healthy lifestyle. I have tried kava, I did so when the local village (the other one) had what is called a ‘meke’ (a traditional Fijian dance) in which dancers from Suva came and asked the chief of the village to be taught the meke (unique to each village) and to stay in the village. They then have a day to learn it and then perform it in the village hall for all the villagers. While this is going the men of the village are in one corner grinding up the kava with water and passing it around. It pretty much tastes like muddy water, and after having a few that night (not feeling much mind you, I think it was fairly weak) I woke up the next day sick in the guts and I reckon it was because my stomach was full of muddy water! After the dancers finish their performance there is much singing and dancing and being a white man the Fijian women just come up to you, tap you and then you’re pretty much obliged to dance with them. Just like a school dance only it’s the women doing the choosing! It was really good fun, and an amazing cultural experience, one of which I was privelidged to experience.
I have also been to the local waterfall which you can slide down the rocks into the pool at the bottom. It’s only small but jumping off the rocks into the water is still pretty cool. I went across to Nagani Island last weekend and stayed at the resort there (that and a village are the only thing on a small island). Jay grew up there as his Dad is a carpenter and used to work there so we got a bloody good deal on accommodation. Of the 18 bure’s that are there, there were only a total of 9 guests in the entire resort, including us. Tourism is very low in Fiji at the moment but seriously people, there is nothing here to worry about. The international media has seemed to instil fear into people which has prevented them from travelling to Fiji and tourism appears to be really suffering. So if you were thinking of coming to Fiji but were worried about the political situation, don’t be! It’s totally fine, and Fijian people are amazingly friendly. The dollar has dropped here as well, giving you even more of an incentive to travel! My scholarship money is certainly going a lot further! Last weekend I also went across to Lavuka on the island of Ovalau (former capital of Fiji) so that was cool to see where Fiji originated officially. It’s awesome to be able to just get on a boat and travel between islands. Jay has an unbelievable amount of contacts all over the place so being with him is making my experience here just that much sweeter. He is a former Divemaster so is going to take me to a place called E6, which is apparently one of the top 10 dive sites in the world, and it’s only an hour from Takalana. I’m hanging out for a dive, and he knows spots where you see sperm whales, short-finned pilot whales and other forms of whale and dolphin, so just the thought of seeing a species of cetacean (whale, dolphin or porpoise) that I haven’t seen before is bloody exciting. That’s the whale nerd in me coming out. I cannot wait to see short-finned pilot whales so I really hope I do while I’m here. Fingers crossed!
So all in all things are going great. I’ve been in Suva almost three day s now and actually can’t wait to get back to Takalana and the dolphins. Suva is ok, but is pretty dirty and I guess I’m spoilt in the tropical paradise of Takalana. The villagers actually know me up there. I went for a run the other day on the dirt road, past the village, and there were two teenage girls sitting on a bridge. “Bula” I said to them as I ran past, they replied “Bula Tim”. I was thinking, how the hell do they know my name?! So I asked Jay and he said that pretty much most people in the village know who I am. I’m the white man staying at Takalana that is studying the dolphins. Some call me ‘dolphin man’. Hey, I can sure deal with that! ;-) It’s soo bloody exciting that in a couple of months I’m going to become an expert (a world expert if you will) on this population of dolphins here in Fiji as no one knows anything about them. The idea of that just pumps me up every day to get out there on the water and collect data.
So I’ll be up at Takalana for another couple of weeks and then we’ll re-assess where I’m at in terms of how much data I’ve collected and that will determine when I will head across to Koro Island to look at spinners over there. It’s looking like around June 20-25 I’ll head across to Koro. Spend a few weeks there (sightings dependent) then head back to Takalana/Moon Reef for a couple more weeks before flying out of Fiji on August 17. If all goes to plan I hope to spend a few days travelling before I fly out. It will be my BDay the weekend before I leave so thought I might treat myself.
Well, this has been an epic email and I need to get back to analysing images of fins, so I will say “modde” (spelling I’m not sure of, but it means bye in Fijian) and hope all is well in your part of the world. Things are going great guns with me in this beautiful part of the world!
All the best from rugby mad Fiji,
Tim, Timmy, Timbo (aka dolphin man)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
2009 – Honours begins, see you all in December
G’Day All,
Hope 2009 is treating you well so far. Thought I would write and give you all a quick update, because as of now I seriously won’t get time to write until December.
When I returned to Adelaide back in December ’08 I worked all the way through until the start of Feb. I was working up at the uni in the lab counting little critters under the microscope for a Coorong and Lower Lakes project that Flinders got through the Department of Environment and Heritage. Those lakes around the Murray Mouth are just soo dry it’s actually devastating to look at. Hence why we’re doing the work to better understand what’s going on in terms of meiofauna (basically organisms bigger then 1mm). I was really lucky to score the work and it certainly helped the depleted bank account resulting from that overseas travel. I also scored work at a place called ‘Temptation Sailing’ down at the bay (Glenelg). Check it out at www.dolphinboat.com.au. We do ‘swim-with-dolphins’ but do it in a way that is non-invasive as we let the dolphins come to us, and they do, they get curious and swim by people hanging off lines off the back of the 58ft sailing catamaran. Not every group of dolphins we find interacts, and so we just let them go. In no way do we harass the dolphins, the interaction is totally up to them, and because of that I feel much more comfortable working there. I really enjoy the work as I get my ‘dolphin fix’ every week (such a whale nerd I know). I just love being out on the water and meeting and chatting to people from all over the world is always great fun.
When February came round, paid work up at the uni ended (still do Temptation on Sunday mornings), and I entered a little room with a little desk to begin my Honours degree. So for those of you that don’t know what an Honours degree is, it’s where 10 months of my life is dedicated to my own research project and I lose contact with all aspects of the outside world because I’m soo busy… (kidding, but no, seriously). I’m pumped about my research project though, as it’s taking me to Fiji to study spinner dolphins! I booked my flights last week and will be there for 3 months (May 11 - Aug 17). There has been no formal research on spinner dolphins done in much of the Pacific Islands Region, and nothing done in Fiji so I’m psyched to be pioneering this research. I have three separate sites so I will get to see the ‘real’ Fiji as some of the spots I’m going to are very remote, and very basic. It’s going to be a bloody fantastic experience! A lot is to be done between now and when I leave. And even more between now and November 9th when my thesis is due, at which time I’ll probably breathe a huge sigh of relief and sink a few brews in celebration. Still, I should focus on the next 8 weeks before I fly out as I have lots of logistics organisation and coursework to do. It’s tough getting the brain back into a research frame of mind as it hasn’t been used like this in well over 12 months, but I’m managing to re-familiarise myself and get back into gear. I’m treating it like a 9-5 job and that way I can get stuff done. Gone are my undergrad days of getting up only when I need to go to a lecture!
So, as I said earlier I’m writing this to give you all an update but also to let you know that I will be extremely busy up until November, and so I’m going to apologise in advance for not being timely in any replies to any emails or messages you might send me. It’s an important year for me this year and I’m going to be working bloody hard so I hope you can all appreciate this. If I don’t reply to you it’s not because I’m dissing you, it’s because I’m up to my eyeballs in papers and data. I will however do my best to get back to you when I can.
I’m pumped for the 9 months ahead, as now is the time when the ball really gets rolling so I’ve gotta work hard to make sure I can keep up with it. I would like to get some sleep in October, well, that’s the plan anyway although they say no matter how much planning you do, that month is still very stressful. Fun times ahead for Tim Timmy Timbo!
Hope you’re all well wherever you are in the world. I’ll see you at the end of the year!
From soon to be spinner dolphin expert,
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Hope 2009 is treating you well so far. Thought I would write and give you all a quick update, because as of now I seriously won’t get time to write until December.
When I returned to Adelaide back in December ’08 I worked all the way through until the start of Feb. I was working up at the uni in the lab counting little critters under the microscope for a Coorong and Lower Lakes project that Flinders got through the Department of Environment and Heritage. Those lakes around the Murray Mouth are just soo dry it’s actually devastating to look at. Hence why we’re doing the work to better understand what’s going on in terms of meiofauna (basically organisms bigger then 1mm). I was really lucky to score the work and it certainly helped the depleted bank account resulting from that overseas travel. I also scored work at a place called ‘Temptation Sailing’ down at the bay (Glenelg). Check it out at www.dolphinboat.com.au. We do ‘swim-with-dolphins’ but do it in a way that is non-invasive as we let the dolphins come to us, and they do, they get curious and swim by people hanging off lines off the back of the 58ft sailing catamaran. Not every group of dolphins we find interacts, and so we just let them go. In no way do we harass the dolphins, the interaction is totally up to them, and because of that I feel much more comfortable working there. I really enjoy the work as I get my ‘dolphin fix’ every week (such a whale nerd I know). I just love being out on the water and meeting and chatting to people from all over the world is always great fun.
When February came round, paid work up at the uni ended (still do Temptation on Sunday mornings), and I entered a little room with a little desk to begin my Honours degree. So for those of you that don’t know what an Honours degree is, it’s where 10 months of my life is dedicated to my own research project and I lose contact with all aspects of the outside world because I’m soo busy… (kidding, but no, seriously). I’m pumped about my research project though, as it’s taking me to Fiji to study spinner dolphins! I booked my flights last week and will be there for 3 months (May 11 - Aug 17). There has been no formal research on spinner dolphins done in much of the Pacific Islands Region, and nothing done in Fiji so I’m psyched to be pioneering this research. I have three separate sites so I will get to see the ‘real’ Fiji as some of the spots I’m going to are very remote, and very basic. It’s going to be a bloody fantastic experience! A lot is to be done between now and when I leave. And even more between now and November 9th when my thesis is due, at which time I’ll probably breathe a huge sigh of relief and sink a few brews in celebration. Still, I should focus on the next 8 weeks before I fly out as I have lots of logistics organisation and coursework to do. It’s tough getting the brain back into a research frame of mind as it hasn’t been used like this in well over 12 months, but I’m managing to re-familiarise myself and get back into gear. I’m treating it like a 9-5 job and that way I can get stuff done. Gone are my undergrad days of getting up only when I need to go to a lecture!
So, as I said earlier I’m writing this to give you all an update but also to let you know that I will be extremely busy up until November, and so I’m going to apologise in advance for not being timely in any replies to any emails or messages you might send me. It’s an important year for me this year and I’m going to be working bloody hard so I hope you can all appreciate this. If I don’t reply to you it’s not because I’m dissing you, it’s because I’m up to my eyeballs in papers and data. I will however do my best to get back to you when I can.
I’m pumped for the 9 months ahead, as now is the time when the ball really gets rolling so I’ve gotta work hard to make sure I can keep up with it. I would like to get some sleep in October, well, that’s the plan anyway although they say no matter how much planning you do, that month is still very stressful. Fun times ahead for Tim Timmy Timbo!
Hope you’re all well wherever you are in the world. I’ll see you at the end of the year!
From soon to be spinner dolphin expert,
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Whale watching, North America travels, & the return to the motherland - December 2008
Hey everyone,
Well again I know it has been a long while since I have written but I’ve been as busy as a beaver (how Canadian of me I know). The last time I wrote was July and since then quite a bit has happened. July/August was just flat out in the whale watching industry. I ended up doing 31 days straight but the experience gained and the things I saw were just incredible. At one point I was working a lot as a zodiac driver during these months and it was great to clock more hours out on the water and gain that experience. I’ve learnt soo much about navigation, water conditions, weather, and of course, the whales! September slowed down a bit but it was my favourite month for whale watching. If anyone asks me when the best time to go whale watching in the Pacific Northwest is then I’ll say late August/September. The weather was great, waters were flat calm almost every day of the week but most importantly, the whale sightings and diversity was second to none. In one single 3 hour trip I saw orcas, humpbacks, Stellar Sea Lions, California Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Harbour porpoises, Bald Eagles and an abundance of other marine bird life. To see all that in one trip truly is phenomenal. During my last couple of weeks at work I couldn’t help but think how awesome it was to be out on the water seeing soo much diversity and how I’m going to seriously miss it. I saw some incredible things in my last couple of months out on the water: I witnessed three transients (mammal-eating orcas) attack and kill a California Sea Lion; I saw a huge male orca pursue a harbour porpoise then breach out of the water with the porpoise in its mouth (I have a photo of this, that a passenger took by fluke, but it’s incredible); I had an orca veer of its path, surface right next to my boat and I literally looked it in the eye, just amazing. A lot of the really good photos I have were from passengers and the captains that have decent cameras. I really want to invest in a decent camera as it’s really hard to get good photos from a little pocket one. I plan on making a photo/video presentation when I return to Oz, showing the highlights of my time in the Pacific Northwest, as it really was just an unbelievable experience. I know I keep saying how awesome it was being up there, but really I’m running out of words to describe what an amazing experience it all was. Take a thesaurus, and any word that describes feelings of excitement and amazingness, they all represent my time in the Pacific Northwest. So I finished work at the end of September, and my very last trip was a zodiac trip that had superpod, transients and Race Rocks. I literally couldn’t have asked for a better last trip. After Victoria I headed up Vancouver Island to Tofino for a few days. Now Tofino is on the west coast of Vancouver Island and is the surfing capital of BC. I have much respect for surfers that surf here. Firstly, the water temp is about 10-11˚C, so these guys (and gals) wear full bodied wetsuits, booties, gloves and hoods. Now that’s dedication! I don’t know about you all, but when I go surfing (well, bodyboarding ‘cos I suck at surfing) I just wanna be wearing boardies and a short-sleeved rashie, not a SCUBA outfit, minus the breathing gear! Tofino is also renowned for it’s beautiful scenery, where mountain islands drop down straight to the waters edge, and narrow bodies of water wind around the islands throughout Claquot Sound. It was just breathtaking. While in Tofino I travelled by boat north to Hot Springs Cove and had my first hot springs experience, that really were surprisingly hot. It was surreal to be soaking in these springs while the cold waters of the Pacific flushed in and cooled you down. I also travelled to a place called Meares Island that is an old growth forest with trees over 1000 years old! These old growth forests are found throughout Vancouver Island (although majority have been logged) and the denseness of the forests is just incredible. Good luck trying to get through them off the beaten path, because it just won’t happen. The amount of life in these forests, and the fact that they go right to the waters edge, means everything is interconnected. The natives in these areas had a relationship with the land and sea and were completely self sufficient. Of course it didn’t take long for white man to come along and destroy a lot of it. This seems to be the case everywhere doesn’t it? Since being away I feel as though I have gained much more of an appreciation for nature and how every single little thing is connected in some way. My passion for the ocean has only grown stronger and how I want to conserve the incredible creatures within it. Don’t be inviting me out for seafood unless you know that it’s coming from sustainable stocks, because I’ll be honest, I won’t eat it. It’s a personal choice I’ve now made as we’ve overfished around 70% of the worlds oceans, so I want to know what I eat is not damaging already threatened stocks. Don’t get me wrong, I love seafood but don’t love it enough to take it from those animals that live in the ocean (particularly marine mammals) and rely on it for survival. We humans DON’T NEED it to survive, whereas marine mammals do. I recently found out that the orcas I was studying and working with (the Southern Residents) lost 7 members this year, bringing the total now to a mere 83 individuals. It’s the biggest lost in 10 years and the future of these animals is not looking good. The truth of it all, they’re starving. There’s just not as much salmon around as there used to be, and combining this with toxins in their bodies that have resulted from our actions, the population is struggling. A lot of research is being done on these amazing animals, so we can only hope that the population can bounce back. It’s weird, and saddening of course, to think I was in this part of the world when such a major loss occurred and to think I may have seen this population at it’s highest before a constant decline began. Let’s hope that I am wrong and this is not the case. Well, I’ve gone on about all that for a while now so I’ll continue on with my travels of late. Still, cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) conservation is an issue that I want to pursue as a career and so all that is happening in this part of the world is something that is close to me. Yeah, I’m a self confessed whale nerd, and proud of it!
So after Tofino, I headed back down to Victoria for one final night with the crew (miss you guys) and then it was off to San Juan Island (again) to say goodbye to friends over there that I worked/studied with. After San Juan I headed back to Vancouver and then it was farewell to beautiful British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, and off to Ontario, Canada. While in Ontario I stayed with a good friend I worked with in Victoria who is originally from there (thanks Sheenah!). She lives just outside of Toronto in a little town called Beaverton. Yep, the beaver is Canada’s symbol and they have a town called Beaverton. Awesome eh?! That’s like having a town in Australia called Kangarooton or Emuton. Hilarious! While in Beaverton we went to Niagara Falls, which truly is spectacular. That’s another wonder of the world I can tick off the list! I also checked out Toronto City and went up the CN Tower which is the world’s tallest free standing structure with a public viewing deck. It was awesome being so far up overlooking Toronto and Lake Ontario. While in Toronto I also checked out the Hockey Hall of Fame. Now although I’m not a huge ice hockey fan a mate of mine in Victoria told me to go check out it, so I did and it was actually really cool (excuse the pun). I was fortunate enough to experience a North American Thanksgiving in Beaverton, which was my first Thanksgiving and of course I like an event with lots of grog, food and conversation, so it was a top night. One thing I found hilarious was when members of Sheenah’s family would ask Sheenah (with me sitting next to her) “Sheenah, ask your friend if he would like to get some more food, there’s plenty left”. To which Sheenah replied “Ahh, why don’t you ask him yourself. He’s right here next to me and he does speak English you know.” Good times. I was actually really lucky to be in Ontario at that particular time of year (early/mid October) as it’s Autumn and the colours from the leaves falling off the trees is just spectacular. Hard to think in a month’s time they will have snow, and by Xmas there will be 2-3 ft of the white stuff everywhere. I experienced the smell of dead skunk while travelling on the road, and I gotta say, it’s not something I want to smell again. Thank god we don’t have those pungent little animals in Oz, because if you hit one the smell stays on your car for weeks! I also travelled to Cambridge just outside of Toronto and visited a mate I lived with in Miami. Great to see you JD!
After Toronto and surrounding area it was off to Tampa in west Florida for a friend’s wedding (great to see you Val and congrats again!). It was awesome to be back in sunny Florida and catch up with quite a few folk. The wedding was amazing, a Jewish wedding in fact. Now the only things I know about a Jewish wedding are things I’ve seen on the movies, and they did it all- breaking of the glass, holding the bride and groom up on a chair on the dance floor, and of course the traditional Jewish dances. It was a great night and a great few days in an area I’ve never been before. When ‘Land Down Under’ by Men at Work came on I found myself in the middle of the dance floor dancing around, and everyone copying every single move I was making. I think they thought it was a proper dance, but little did they know I was just making stuff up as the song went on. Crack up! A bloody great night though, We went to the original Hooters Bar in Clearwater, yep the actual original Hooters, the first in America. Now how many people can say that eh?! And this year they are celebrating 25 years, just like me! Being the whale nerd I am I went on a dolphin tour around Clearwater, and were fortunate enough to have bottlenose dolphins riding in our wake, and we even witnessed some “playful” activity, if you know what I mean ;-) I was in Tampa during the World Series (American baseball) and the Tampa Bay Rays had qualified so there was a big hype in the area. Unfortunately they ended up losing but it was a cool experience nonetheless. One thing that does bother me is the fact that they call it the World Series when it’s only North American teams competing. Mmm…
From Tampa I took the bus down to Miami where I spent two weeks catching up with the crew (well, those that are left). One of my main reasons for going down to Miami earlier than last year was so I could get down to Key West for what’s called Fantasy Fest. Now this is festival that happens just before Halloween, and I’m not lying when I say it’s kind of like the name implies. Literally, people, mainly women, walking around in next to nothing. Lots of body paint, skimpy clothing (some guys do it well which is somewhat disturbing), beads, photos, and drinking in the streets. It’s just one huge party where everyone is having a great time and forgetting about the stresses of life for a weekend. I was walking around just in shock as I couldn’t believe I was seeing. I’d seen photos from mate’s that had gone previous years, and so I knew somewhat to expect, but until you’re there to see it with your own eyes, you don’t really believe it. Truly a crazy weekend. While in Miami it was Homecoming again and they had N*E*R*D playing a free concert on campus. I don’t expect all of you to know who that is, but they certainly put on a good show. Of course there was the Halloween celebrations the following week, and again we went to the Grove and it was just crazy. The funny thing about Halloween is, and everyone knows it, is that it’s an excuse for a lot of women to dress up (or dress down as the case typically is) in not much at all, and get away with it. Hey, no complaints from this Aussie! I dressed up as a ‘Dingo that ate your baby’, so I got a make-up kit and attempted to make my face look like a dingo. I put a couple of signs on me to clarify. It came out alright I guess, considering I did my own make-up. The effort was put in which is what counts. There were of course some Thursday nights in the Grove which are always a good time, and just general hanging out with the gang and catching up. It was a great couple of weeks in sunny south Florida, with the last couple of days spent north of Miami in Boynton Beach (great to see you Don!), and also in Ft Lauderdale (thanks for showing me around Chels!). A really big thanks though to all of you in Miami that let me float between couches and floors. You guys know who you are!
After Miami it was up to Providence, Rhode Island to see a friend that I worked with in Victoria (great to see you Steph!). I arrived the night of the Presidential Election so spent the evening glued to the TV. It really was an experience being in the US in the lead up to the election, seeing the ads on tv, the banners everywhere, and just the general hype around it all, given the importance of it and situation the world is in today. My friend was driving me to the airport in Ft Lauderdale (I was flying up to Providence), and she had an Obama 08 sticker on her bumper. It was amazing the amount of people honking the horn and throwing their hands up in the air in support. I felt this huge vibe during the day and of course, being there when Obama was announced President Elect there was huge excitement as it was/is such a pivotal moment in American history. There were people cheering everywhere, letting of fireworks in the parks and honking their horns in the streets. I’m really glad I was able to be around to witness and experience it all. It’s certainly time for a change… YES WE CAN.
We’re up to November 7th in case you’re wondering. So after Providence it was down to the Big Apple where I spread the news, stayed a few days and became a part of it. I’ve been to New York before (back in 2006) and had done all the touristy things, so the visit this time was to catch up with friends (as were all my post BC travels). I was in Manhattan one night and then on Staten Island staying with friends the other couple of nights. I met some more friends on the Sat night and we went to a comedy show in Times Square, which was pretty funny I guess, although I don’t understand why comedians feel the need to cuss every second word. If you have to rely on obscenity to get a laugh then in my book you’re not a good comedian. I do like New York, and could see myself living there for a little bit, but it’s just soo expensive, and I guess those professionals living in Manhattan can afford to live that lifestyle where money really isn’t an object. It’s certainly an object when you’re a poor traveller!
After the city that never sleeps it was on a bus and up to Boston to see me good mate Shpin. I’d been to Boston the same time last year but only for a day or so, and from what I saw of it I really liked. The city seems really clean and just has a really nice feel to it. I spent a week in Boston catching up with my mate Shpin who I’ve know since UMiami dorm days. Many a good time were had while I was there. I went to the Samuel Adams Brewery and did a tour (and tasting!) which I have to say is probably America’s best beer. We went to the Imax there and saw a couple of documentaries, one called Whales and Dolphins, and the other called Wild Oceans. If you get the chance you should certainly go and check them out. The footage is phenomenal, and of course being the whale nerd I am I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a great time in Boston (bloody awesome to see you Shpin and thanks mate for the hospitality!).
After Boston I flew across to Seattle and then bussed it up to Vancouver. Total time leaving from Boston and arriving into Vancouver was just over 20 hours, so yeah, that was fun! I spent a couple of days in Van sorting the rest of my stuff out, catching up with friends and of course saying bye to Deano who has just been an amazing bloke to me while I’ve been in BC. You know how I feel Deano, but thanks again mate. See you in Oz soon! ;-)
So after 16 months away in North America I hopped on a plane on Wednesday 19th November bound for the motherland. I went with Japan Airlines via Tokyo to Sydney as it was much cheaper that Qantas or Air Canada even though they are direct. Yeah, go figure that one! ;-S I arrived into Sydney on the morning of Friday 21st Nov, with all my luggage present and accounted for, and as I stepped through those customs gates it really was a weird feeling, but a happy one as I was home at last!
So as I finish writing this ridunculously long blog (apologies, but many congrats if you are still reading) I’ve been back in the country about 3 weeks. I’ll be honest in saying that it does feel weird to be back. I have to re-familiarise myself with a lot of things, like driving on the left side of the road (we won’t talk about that incident the second day being back in the country), dealing with the fact that everyone has an Aussie accent, and remembering I don’t have to tip when I go out! I can get used to that one again very easily though! So I was in Orange for almost 2 weeks, of which 5 days were spent up in Pt Macquarie at a friend’s wedding (bloody great to see you all!). For those of you that I caught up with in Orange, I know it was only short but it was great to see you nonetheless. For those of you that I didn’t catch up with in Orange I’m very very sorry. It was only a short trip and I had a lot of organising to do for the move back to Adelaide. At least I’m on the same continent now so there is much more of a chance of catching up. RADelaide is where I’m at right now, and will be here for the next 12 months at least. I’m working over the summer and will start my Honours degree at Flinders Uni in February. I’m actually going to be spending 3-4 months of next year on a remote island in Fiji, as that is where my Honours research will be, so that will be a great experience. I have a very tough 12 months ahead of me, but I’m up for it and am really looking forward to the challenges ahead. After that, who knows, I’ll re-assess this time next year. Perhaps a PhD is on the horizon.
To all of you that are still reading, congratulations, and thank you. I know it’s been a very long time since I’ve written, but at least now you’re updated on the actions of Tim Timmy Timbo. The last 16 months have certainly been an adventure!
I hope you all have a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Keep in touch, and drop me an update every now and then as I’d love to hear from you.
This is Tim Timmy Timbo signing off for 2008. Bring on 2009!
Well again I know it has been a long while since I have written but I’ve been as busy as a beaver (how Canadian of me I know). The last time I wrote was July and since then quite a bit has happened. July/August was just flat out in the whale watching industry. I ended up doing 31 days straight but the experience gained and the things I saw were just incredible. At one point I was working a lot as a zodiac driver during these months and it was great to clock more hours out on the water and gain that experience. I’ve learnt soo much about navigation, water conditions, weather, and of course, the whales! September slowed down a bit but it was my favourite month for whale watching. If anyone asks me when the best time to go whale watching in the Pacific Northwest is then I’ll say late August/September. The weather was great, waters were flat calm almost every day of the week but most importantly, the whale sightings and diversity was second to none. In one single 3 hour trip I saw orcas, humpbacks, Stellar Sea Lions, California Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Harbour porpoises, Bald Eagles and an abundance of other marine bird life. To see all that in one trip truly is phenomenal. During my last couple of weeks at work I couldn’t help but think how awesome it was to be out on the water seeing soo much diversity and how I’m going to seriously miss it. I saw some incredible things in my last couple of months out on the water: I witnessed three transients (mammal-eating orcas) attack and kill a California Sea Lion; I saw a huge male orca pursue a harbour porpoise then breach out of the water with the porpoise in its mouth (I have a photo of this, that a passenger took by fluke, but it’s incredible); I had an orca veer of its path, surface right next to my boat and I literally looked it in the eye, just amazing. A lot of the really good photos I have were from passengers and the captains that have decent cameras. I really want to invest in a decent camera as it’s really hard to get good photos from a little pocket one. I plan on making a photo/video presentation when I return to Oz, showing the highlights of my time in the Pacific Northwest, as it really was just an unbelievable experience. I know I keep saying how awesome it was being up there, but really I’m running out of words to describe what an amazing experience it all was. Take a thesaurus, and any word that describes feelings of excitement and amazingness, they all represent my time in the Pacific Northwest. So I finished work at the end of September, and my very last trip was a zodiac trip that had superpod, transients and Race Rocks. I literally couldn’t have asked for a better last trip. After Victoria I headed up Vancouver Island to Tofino for a few days. Now Tofino is on the west coast of Vancouver Island and is the surfing capital of BC. I have much respect for surfers that surf here. Firstly, the water temp is about 10-11˚C, so these guys (and gals) wear full bodied wetsuits, booties, gloves and hoods. Now that’s dedication! I don’t know about you all, but when I go surfing (well, bodyboarding ‘cos I suck at surfing) I just wanna be wearing boardies and a short-sleeved rashie, not a SCUBA outfit, minus the breathing gear! Tofino is also renowned for it’s beautiful scenery, where mountain islands drop down straight to the waters edge, and narrow bodies of water wind around the islands throughout Claquot Sound. It was just breathtaking. While in Tofino I travelled by boat north to Hot Springs Cove and had my first hot springs experience, that really were surprisingly hot. It was surreal to be soaking in these springs while the cold waters of the Pacific flushed in and cooled you down. I also travelled to a place called Meares Island that is an old growth forest with trees over 1000 years old! These old growth forests are found throughout Vancouver Island (although majority have been logged) and the denseness of the forests is just incredible. Good luck trying to get through them off the beaten path, because it just won’t happen. The amount of life in these forests, and the fact that they go right to the waters edge, means everything is interconnected. The natives in these areas had a relationship with the land and sea and were completely self sufficient. Of course it didn’t take long for white man to come along and destroy a lot of it. This seems to be the case everywhere doesn’t it? Since being away I feel as though I have gained much more of an appreciation for nature and how every single little thing is connected in some way. My passion for the ocean has only grown stronger and how I want to conserve the incredible creatures within it. Don’t be inviting me out for seafood unless you know that it’s coming from sustainable stocks, because I’ll be honest, I won’t eat it. It’s a personal choice I’ve now made as we’ve overfished around 70% of the worlds oceans, so I want to know what I eat is not damaging already threatened stocks. Don’t get me wrong, I love seafood but don’t love it enough to take it from those animals that live in the ocean (particularly marine mammals) and rely on it for survival. We humans DON’T NEED it to survive, whereas marine mammals do. I recently found out that the orcas I was studying and working with (the Southern Residents) lost 7 members this year, bringing the total now to a mere 83 individuals. It’s the biggest lost in 10 years and the future of these animals is not looking good. The truth of it all, they’re starving. There’s just not as much salmon around as there used to be, and combining this with toxins in their bodies that have resulted from our actions, the population is struggling. A lot of research is being done on these amazing animals, so we can only hope that the population can bounce back. It’s weird, and saddening of course, to think I was in this part of the world when such a major loss occurred and to think I may have seen this population at it’s highest before a constant decline began. Let’s hope that I am wrong and this is not the case. Well, I’ve gone on about all that for a while now so I’ll continue on with my travels of late. Still, cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) conservation is an issue that I want to pursue as a career and so all that is happening in this part of the world is something that is close to me. Yeah, I’m a self confessed whale nerd, and proud of it!
So after Tofino, I headed back down to Victoria for one final night with the crew (miss you guys) and then it was off to San Juan Island (again) to say goodbye to friends over there that I worked/studied with. After San Juan I headed back to Vancouver and then it was farewell to beautiful British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, and off to Ontario, Canada. While in Ontario I stayed with a good friend I worked with in Victoria who is originally from there (thanks Sheenah!). She lives just outside of Toronto in a little town called Beaverton. Yep, the beaver is Canada’s symbol and they have a town called Beaverton. Awesome eh?! That’s like having a town in Australia called Kangarooton or Emuton. Hilarious! While in Beaverton we went to Niagara Falls, which truly is spectacular. That’s another wonder of the world I can tick off the list! I also checked out Toronto City and went up the CN Tower which is the world’s tallest free standing structure with a public viewing deck. It was awesome being so far up overlooking Toronto and Lake Ontario. While in Toronto I also checked out the Hockey Hall of Fame. Now although I’m not a huge ice hockey fan a mate of mine in Victoria told me to go check out it, so I did and it was actually really cool (excuse the pun). I was fortunate enough to experience a North American Thanksgiving in Beaverton, which was my first Thanksgiving and of course I like an event with lots of grog, food and conversation, so it was a top night. One thing I found hilarious was when members of Sheenah’s family would ask Sheenah (with me sitting next to her) “Sheenah, ask your friend if he would like to get some more food, there’s plenty left”. To which Sheenah replied “Ahh, why don’t you ask him yourself. He’s right here next to me and he does speak English you know.” Good times. I was actually really lucky to be in Ontario at that particular time of year (early/mid October) as it’s Autumn and the colours from the leaves falling off the trees is just spectacular. Hard to think in a month’s time they will have snow, and by Xmas there will be 2-3 ft of the white stuff everywhere. I experienced the smell of dead skunk while travelling on the road, and I gotta say, it’s not something I want to smell again. Thank god we don’t have those pungent little animals in Oz, because if you hit one the smell stays on your car for weeks! I also travelled to Cambridge just outside of Toronto and visited a mate I lived with in Miami. Great to see you JD!
After Toronto and surrounding area it was off to Tampa in west Florida for a friend’s wedding (great to see you Val and congrats again!). It was awesome to be back in sunny Florida and catch up with quite a few folk. The wedding was amazing, a Jewish wedding in fact. Now the only things I know about a Jewish wedding are things I’ve seen on the movies, and they did it all- breaking of the glass, holding the bride and groom up on a chair on the dance floor, and of course the traditional Jewish dances. It was a great night and a great few days in an area I’ve never been before. When ‘Land Down Under’ by Men at Work came on I found myself in the middle of the dance floor dancing around, and everyone copying every single move I was making. I think they thought it was a proper dance, but little did they know I was just making stuff up as the song went on. Crack up! A bloody great night though, We went to the original Hooters Bar in Clearwater, yep the actual original Hooters, the first in America. Now how many people can say that eh?! And this year they are celebrating 25 years, just like me! Being the whale nerd I am I went on a dolphin tour around Clearwater, and were fortunate enough to have bottlenose dolphins riding in our wake, and we even witnessed some “playful” activity, if you know what I mean ;-) I was in Tampa during the World Series (American baseball) and the Tampa Bay Rays had qualified so there was a big hype in the area. Unfortunately they ended up losing but it was a cool experience nonetheless. One thing that does bother me is the fact that they call it the World Series when it’s only North American teams competing. Mmm…
From Tampa I took the bus down to Miami where I spent two weeks catching up with the crew (well, those that are left). One of my main reasons for going down to Miami earlier than last year was so I could get down to Key West for what’s called Fantasy Fest. Now this is festival that happens just before Halloween, and I’m not lying when I say it’s kind of like the name implies. Literally, people, mainly women, walking around in next to nothing. Lots of body paint, skimpy clothing (some guys do it well which is somewhat disturbing), beads, photos, and drinking in the streets. It’s just one huge party where everyone is having a great time and forgetting about the stresses of life for a weekend. I was walking around just in shock as I couldn’t believe I was seeing. I’d seen photos from mate’s that had gone previous years, and so I knew somewhat to expect, but until you’re there to see it with your own eyes, you don’t really believe it. Truly a crazy weekend. While in Miami it was Homecoming again and they had N*E*R*D playing a free concert on campus. I don’t expect all of you to know who that is, but they certainly put on a good show. Of course there was the Halloween celebrations the following week, and again we went to the Grove and it was just crazy. The funny thing about Halloween is, and everyone knows it, is that it’s an excuse for a lot of women to dress up (or dress down as the case typically is) in not much at all, and get away with it. Hey, no complaints from this Aussie! I dressed up as a ‘Dingo that ate your baby’, so I got a make-up kit and attempted to make my face look like a dingo. I put a couple of signs on me to clarify. It came out alright I guess, considering I did my own make-up. The effort was put in which is what counts. There were of course some Thursday nights in the Grove which are always a good time, and just general hanging out with the gang and catching up. It was a great couple of weeks in sunny south Florida, with the last couple of days spent north of Miami in Boynton Beach (great to see you Don!), and also in Ft Lauderdale (thanks for showing me around Chels!). A really big thanks though to all of you in Miami that let me float between couches and floors. You guys know who you are!
After Miami it was up to Providence, Rhode Island to see a friend that I worked with in Victoria (great to see you Steph!). I arrived the night of the Presidential Election so spent the evening glued to the TV. It really was an experience being in the US in the lead up to the election, seeing the ads on tv, the banners everywhere, and just the general hype around it all, given the importance of it and situation the world is in today. My friend was driving me to the airport in Ft Lauderdale (I was flying up to Providence), and she had an Obama 08 sticker on her bumper. It was amazing the amount of people honking the horn and throwing their hands up in the air in support. I felt this huge vibe during the day and of course, being there when Obama was announced President Elect there was huge excitement as it was/is such a pivotal moment in American history. There were people cheering everywhere, letting of fireworks in the parks and honking their horns in the streets. I’m really glad I was able to be around to witness and experience it all. It’s certainly time for a change… YES WE CAN.
We’re up to November 7th in case you’re wondering. So after Providence it was down to the Big Apple where I spread the news, stayed a few days and became a part of it. I’ve been to New York before (back in 2006) and had done all the touristy things, so the visit this time was to catch up with friends (as were all my post BC travels). I was in Manhattan one night and then on Staten Island staying with friends the other couple of nights. I met some more friends on the Sat night and we went to a comedy show in Times Square, which was pretty funny I guess, although I don’t understand why comedians feel the need to cuss every second word. If you have to rely on obscenity to get a laugh then in my book you’re not a good comedian. I do like New York, and could see myself living there for a little bit, but it’s just soo expensive, and I guess those professionals living in Manhattan can afford to live that lifestyle where money really isn’t an object. It’s certainly an object when you’re a poor traveller!
After the city that never sleeps it was on a bus and up to Boston to see me good mate Shpin. I’d been to Boston the same time last year but only for a day or so, and from what I saw of it I really liked. The city seems really clean and just has a really nice feel to it. I spent a week in Boston catching up with my mate Shpin who I’ve know since UMiami dorm days. Many a good time were had while I was there. I went to the Samuel Adams Brewery and did a tour (and tasting!) which I have to say is probably America’s best beer. We went to the Imax there and saw a couple of documentaries, one called Whales and Dolphins, and the other called Wild Oceans. If you get the chance you should certainly go and check them out. The footage is phenomenal, and of course being the whale nerd I am I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a great time in Boston (bloody awesome to see you Shpin and thanks mate for the hospitality!).
After Boston I flew across to Seattle and then bussed it up to Vancouver. Total time leaving from Boston and arriving into Vancouver was just over 20 hours, so yeah, that was fun! I spent a couple of days in Van sorting the rest of my stuff out, catching up with friends and of course saying bye to Deano who has just been an amazing bloke to me while I’ve been in BC. You know how I feel Deano, but thanks again mate. See you in Oz soon! ;-)
So after 16 months away in North America I hopped on a plane on Wednesday 19th November bound for the motherland. I went with Japan Airlines via Tokyo to Sydney as it was much cheaper that Qantas or Air Canada even though they are direct. Yeah, go figure that one! ;-S I arrived into Sydney on the morning of Friday 21st Nov, with all my luggage present and accounted for, and as I stepped through those customs gates it really was a weird feeling, but a happy one as I was home at last!
So as I finish writing this ridunculously long blog (apologies, but many congrats if you are still reading) I’ve been back in the country about 3 weeks. I’ll be honest in saying that it does feel weird to be back. I have to re-familiarise myself with a lot of things, like driving on the left side of the road (we won’t talk about that incident the second day being back in the country), dealing with the fact that everyone has an Aussie accent, and remembering I don’t have to tip when I go out! I can get used to that one again very easily though! So I was in Orange for almost 2 weeks, of which 5 days were spent up in Pt Macquarie at a friend’s wedding (bloody great to see you all!). For those of you that I caught up with in Orange, I know it was only short but it was great to see you nonetheless. For those of you that I didn’t catch up with in Orange I’m very very sorry. It was only a short trip and I had a lot of organising to do for the move back to Adelaide. At least I’m on the same continent now so there is much more of a chance of catching up. RADelaide is where I’m at right now, and will be here for the next 12 months at least. I’m working over the summer and will start my Honours degree at Flinders Uni in February. I’m actually going to be spending 3-4 months of next year on a remote island in Fiji, as that is where my Honours research will be, so that will be a great experience. I have a very tough 12 months ahead of me, but I’m up for it and am really looking forward to the challenges ahead. After that, who knows, I’ll re-assess this time next year. Perhaps a PhD is on the horizon.
To all of you that are still reading, congratulations, and thank you. I know it’s been a very long time since I’ve written, but at least now you’re updated on the actions of Tim Timmy Timbo. The last 16 months have certainly been an adventure!
I hope you all have a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Keep in touch, and drop me an update every now and then as I’d love to hear from you.
This is Tim Timmy Timbo signing off for 2008. Bring on 2009!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Whale watching, gotta love it! March - July ‘08
Well hello friends around the globe,
Yes it is me Tim, and yes I do realise it has been an extremely bloody long time since I have written, and the reason being is because I’ve been working. Yep! ‘Bout bloody time I hear you cry! I’m working for a company called ‘Orca Spirit Adventures’ here in Victoria (check them out at www.orcaspirit.com), and it’s going really really well. They’re a great company, with 2 covered passenger boats (45-70 pax capacity) and 2 open zodiacs (12 pax capacity). I’m primarily employed as a marine naturalist, so I take passengers out with the Captain (and another naturalist depending on how many passengers we have) and basically talk about the awesome marine life, landmarks and some history of the region. I’m really enjoying it ‘cos I get to meet people from all over the world, I get to be out on the water and most importantly, I get to see and educate people about marine mammal life. Being mid July as I write this the season is well underway and at its busiest. My first trip was at Easter, and I’ve been getting more and more trips each week as the weather has gotten better and the more people are around. The resident orca pods have returned and so we have just under 90 individuals between 3 pods, J, K and L (A-I pod are up on the north end of Vancouver Island as part of the Northern Resident Community) and the ones we get here are part of the Southern Resident Community, basically southern Vancouver Island and San Juan Islands (USA). These orcas are found in these waters from April to October as they are feeding on the migrating salmon that are going to the various rivers of mainland British Columbia and northern Washington State. We’ve identified them all and know families and pod structure so I’m getting much better at ID-ing the animals when we see them. We call these fish-eating killer whales “Residents” because they reside here for most of the summer months. We do in fact get another type of orca here, they’re mammal-eating killer whales and we call them “Transients” because although we get them in these waters all year round, you never know when or where they’re going to show up. They travel in much smaller pods (1-8 individuals) and feed on seals, sea lions, porpoises, and other smaller whales. So this type of year you have the chance to see either type, it’s bloody awesome! The “species richness” of marine mammal life here is just unbelievable, and I’m loving every moment of it. To travel less than an hour in any direction from Victoria Harbour and see animals like orca (mammal-eaters and fish-eaters), Dall’s porpoises, Harbour porpoises, Harbour seals, Northern Sea Lions (aka Stellar Sea Lions), Californian Sea Lions, Northern Elephant Seals, Minke whales, Grey whales and Humpback whales is absolutely amazing. I write blogs for my trips and post photos when I get good ones or passengers get good ones so to see what the trips are like go to the website www.orcaspirit.com and click on the ‘Whale Sightings Blog’ link on the left-hand side toolbar . Some (actually most) have been written by yours truly, as we are required to write one for every trip, so check ‘em out! And the pics as well! They’ve actually been really impressed with my blog writing so I’ve set a very high standard for myself for the season (not like me at all I know). I’m not paid any extra to write these blogs and I guess because they’ve taken up some of my spare time it’s why I haven’t written to you all in three months. I do get pretty excited most of the time when seeing these animals and it shows in my blogs so I strongly urge you all to read them to see the kind of experiences I’ve been having here. Passengers have actually chosen our company because of the blogs so I like to think I helped get the business, at least somewhat anyway. Not to toot my own horn but they are really impressed with my work ethic and how I deal and interact with passengers, and of course being an Aussie I work that angle. Now I’ll be honest, in no way is this a money-making job, in-fact, far from it, and although we don’t tip back home it is pretty much customary in North America so I’m kinda relying on tips to help me save so I can travel and get home after the season is done in early October. Still, the experience is unbelievable and I am getting paid to be out on the water and to see and talk about whales almost everyday. Pretty sweet gig!
I’ve also just started work as a zodiac driver (10m, 12 pax vessel) as that’s also what I want to be doing over the summer. It’s been a bit of a journey getting hours logged, courses done and a lot of practice and exams but I’m finally certified and have done a few solo trips that have gone bloody well. On the website you can check out the boats I drive, they’re a lot of fun! Extremely safe and manoeuvrable, and I get to give the passengers MY experience and go where I wanna go, position how I want to position. Operating these boats and learning navigation and weather is a fantastic skill that I can utilise throughout my career, whatever I end up doing. I have much more responsibility as the lives of 12 passengers are in my hands, but it’s a challenge that I’m up for. I have the marine animal knowledge (always reading and learning more though of course!), so now expanding my boat and navigation knowledge is where my focus is. Being a boy from the country it’s interesting that I love being out on the water and know this is where I want to spend the rest of my life. On the water that is, not in Canada! Don’t get me wrong, this part of the world really is breath-taking, but Australia is my home and that’s where I want to settle down. I want to utilise my skills to help the Australian marine environment, but I’m enjoying my time and the experience here while I’m in this beautiful part of the world. Orcas really are amazing creatures so to be able to observe these animals almost every day really is rewarding. If only we had orcas back home….
My plan thus far is to work here for the remainder of the season until early October and then depending on how much I can save will determine what my travel plans are after that. I plan to hire a car and check out Vancouver Island, head right up the northern end and all around, as I hear it’s even more spectacular up there. Then it’s across to Calgary to visit a mate, then down to Miami for Halloween again, then maybe Mexico, then across to England, then back to the States, back to Vancouver and fly home. I plan to be back in Oz in early to mid December and start my Honours in Adelaide in January. I am actually 90% certain I’ll come back here next season, but I’ll only do it for a few months in the peak peak season (mid June to mid Sept), then return to Oz to finish off my Honours. I’m in a very good position to come back next season, and they certainly want me back! We’ll see what happens.
I’m on the ferry as I write this going from Vancouver back to Victoria on Vancouver Island. I’ve just spent the last 2 weeks with Dad and Matt as they were here on holidays before heading across to England to see the fam and then back to Oz via Singapore. It was absolutely bloody fantastic having them over here. We spent the first few days up in Whistler, chilling at a condo owned by a doctor friend of Deano’s. We had all actually stayed there back in December 2005 when we were here last, but of course back then it was covered in snow. It was great to experience Whistler in the summer, as it really is such a gorgeous place and being surrounded by snow-capped mountains is something “us country boys” are not exactly used to. Matt and I went hiking and mountain-biking while Dad and Deano caught up on old times, but we did of course all eat and drink together, and quite a lot I might add. We’re on hols, so it’s allowed. Mountain-biking down Whistler was wicked, and the more I did it the more confident I became and so used the brakes a little less and hit the jumps a little faster and thus got a little more air each time. Good times, definitely wanna do it again. So after Whistler we caught the ferry across to Vancouver Island and I showed Dad and Matt the city and surrounds of where I have been living and working since January. I took them whale watching and what a trip it was. I/we saw the most amount of breaches (where an orca propels its entire body up and out of the water) I had ever seen in one trip. They literally couldn’t have asked for a better whale watching trip. I also took them across to San Juan Island one of the days and showed them where I lived for 3 months and the labs where I was working. They of course checked out Victoria and surrounds and we even went fishing one morning with my boss. We got up at sparrow’s fart and didn’t catch anything mind you, but still it was great being out on the water and managed to take home a few crabs from the crab pots. It was unbelievable how good the weather was while Dad and Matt were here – sunshine every day, so I guess summer is finally here. Thank heavens for that! I’ve only been waiting for over 4 months! Spring here this year was literally non-existent (the coldest on record they tell me) so I’m stoked it’s back to shorts and t-shirt weather. How long this lasts though is anyone’s guess. The three of us headed back to Van for a couple of days and basically ate and drank again, so as I write this I’ve made a vow of detox and cleansing for the next week or so. Poor Dad and Matt have another 10 days of catching up with family and friends in England, which means much food and drink so they’ll need a major detox when returning to the Land Down Under. So as I said I’m on the ferry as I write this, and they fly out from Vancouver in a couple of hours, bound for London. It was bloody terrific having them over here, and so glad they could see and experience what I’ve been up to over here, and meet the people I’ve been talking about from our weekly Skype conversations. This really is a beautiful part of the world, with spectacular scenery, great people, and of course, lots of marine mammals!
Well, hasn’t this blog gone on for a bloody long time. Still, I guess it has been about 4 months since I’ve written so wanna bring you all up to speed on Tim Timmy Timbo’s actions of late. I think I’ve already told you but I’m living in a shared 3br suite right on the edge of downtown Victoria and the 3 of us get along fine. I am of course the cleanest (anally retentive is the term used by some) but those of you that have lived with me will know that’s not hard. The landlords live upstairs and are great, and would certainly love it if I came back next year. Again, we’ll see. So that’s about it from me for a while. The next couple of months are going to be spent working my arse off and saving as much as I can, and all depending on my bank statement at the end of my time here will depend on my travel plans. If only Canadian wage… no, I won’t go there. But I do love it here, I’m getting some great experience and seeing some amazing things, and of course meeting some great people that share the same interests that I do.
Hope everyone is well and that those of you back in the land of Oz are enjoying your winter, cos guess what, I’m certainly enjoying my summer! ;-P I’d love to hear back from any of you when you get a chance, and can’t wait to have a brew or two with you all in the coming months. Stay safe, enjoy life to the fullest, just as I am doing up here in beautiful British Columbia.
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Yes it is me Tim, and yes I do realise it has been an extremely bloody long time since I have written, and the reason being is because I’ve been working. Yep! ‘Bout bloody time I hear you cry! I’m working for a company called ‘Orca Spirit Adventures’ here in Victoria (check them out at www.orcaspirit.com), and it’s going really really well. They’re a great company, with 2 covered passenger boats (45-70 pax capacity) and 2 open zodiacs (12 pax capacity). I’m primarily employed as a marine naturalist, so I take passengers out with the Captain (and another naturalist depending on how many passengers we have) and basically talk about the awesome marine life, landmarks and some history of the region. I’m really enjoying it ‘cos I get to meet people from all over the world, I get to be out on the water and most importantly, I get to see and educate people about marine mammal life. Being mid July as I write this the season is well underway and at its busiest. My first trip was at Easter, and I’ve been getting more and more trips each week as the weather has gotten better and the more people are around. The resident orca pods have returned and so we have just under 90 individuals between 3 pods, J, K and L (A-I pod are up on the north end of Vancouver Island as part of the Northern Resident Community) and the ones we get here are part of the Southern Resident Community, basically southern Vancouver Island and San Juan Islands (USA). These orcas are found in these waters from April to October as they are feeding on the migrating salmon that are going to the various rivers of mainland British Columbia and northern Washington State. We’ve identified them all and know families and pod structure so I’m getting much better at ID-ing the animals when we see them. We call these fish-eating killer whales “Residents” because they reside here for most of the summer months. We do in fact get another type of orca here, they’re mammal-eating killer whales and we call them “Transients” because although we get them in these waters all year round, you never know when or where they’re going to show up. They travel in much smaller pods (1-8 individuals) and feed on seals, sea lions, porpoises, and other smaller whales. So this type of year you have the chance to see either type, it’s bloody awesome! The “species richness” of marine mammal life here is just unbelievable, and I’m loving every moment of it. To travel less than an hour in any direction from Victoria Harbour and see animals like orca (mammal-eaters and fish-eaters), Dall’s porpoises, Harbour porpoises, Harbour seals, Northern Sea Lions (aka Stellar Sea Lions), Californian Sea Lions, Northern Elephant Seals, Minke whales, Grey whales and Humpback whales is absolutely amazing. I write blogs for my trips and post photos when I get good ones or passengers get good ones so to see what the trips are like go to the website www.orcaspirit.com and click on the ‘Whale Sightings Blog’ link on the left-hand side toolbar . Some (actually most) have been written by yours truly, as we are required to write one for every trip, so check ‘em out! And the pics as well! They’ve actually been really impressed with my blog writing so I’ve set a very high standard for myself for the season (not like me at all I know). I’m not paid any extra to write these blogs and I guess because they’ve taken up some of my spare time it’s why I haven’t written to you all in three months. I do get pretty excited most of the time when seeing these animals and it shows in my blogs so I strongly urge you all to read them to see the kind of experiences I’ve been having here. Passengers have actually chosen our company because of the blogs so I like to think I helped get the business, at least somewhat anyway. Not to toot my own horn but they are really impressed with my work ethic and how I deal and interact with passengers, and of course being an Aussie I work that angle. Now I’ll be honest, in no way is this a money-making job, in-fact, far from it, and although we don’t tip back home it is pretty much customary in North America so I’m kinda relying on tips to help me save so I can travel and get home after the season is done in early October. Still, the experience is unbelievable and I am getting paid to be out on the water and to see and talk about whales almost everyday. Pretty sweet gig!
I’ve also just started work as a zodiac driver (10m, 12 pax vessel) as that’s also what I want to be doing over the summer. It’s been a bit of a journey getting hours logged, courses done and a lot of practice and exams but I’m finally certified and have done a few solo trips that have gone bloody well. On the website you can check out the boats I drive, they’re a lot of fun! Extremely safe and manoeuvrable, and I get to give the passengers MY experience and go where I wanna go, position how I want to position. Operating these boats and learning navigation and weather is a fantastic skill that I can utilise throughout my career, whatever I end up doing. I have much more responsibility as the lives of 12 passengers are in my hands, but it’s a challenge that I’m up for. I have the marine animal knowledge (always reading and learning more though of course!), so now expanding my boat and navigation knowledge is where my focus is. Being a boy from the country it’s interesting that I love being out on the water and know this is where I want to spend the rest of my life. On the water that is, not in Canada! Don’t get me wrong, this part of the world really is breath-taking, but Australia is my home and that’s where I want to settle down. I want to utilise my skills to help the Australian marine environment, but I’m enjoying my time and the experience here while I’m in this beautiful part of the world. Orcas really are amazing creatures so to be able to observe these animals almost every day really is rewarding. If only we had orcas back home….
My plan thus far is to work here for the remainder of the season until early October and then depending on how much I can save will determine what my travel plans are after that. I plan to hire a car and check out Vancouver Island, head right up the northern end and all around, as I hear it’s even more spectacular up there. Then it’s across to Calgary to visit a mate, then down to Miami for Halloween again, then maybe Mexico, then across to England, then back to the States, back to Vancouver and fly home. I plan to be back in Oz in early to mid December and start my Honours in Adelaide in January. I am actually 90% certain I’ll come back here next season, but I’ll only do it for a few months in the peak peak season (mid June to mid Sept), then return to Oz to finish off my Honours. I’m in a very good position to come back next season, and they certainly want me back! We’ll see what happens.
I’m on the ferry as I write this going from Vancouver back to Victoria on Vancouver Island. I’ve just spent the last 2 weeks with Dad and Matt as they were here on holidays before heading across to England to see the fam and then back to Oz via Singapore. It was absolutely bloody fantastic having them over here. We spent the first few days up in Whistler, chilling at a condo owned by a doctor friend of Deano’s. We had all actually stayed there back in December 2005 when we were here last, but of course back then it was covered in snow. It was great to experience Whistler in the summer, as it really is such a gorgeous place and being surrounded by snow-capped mountains is something “us country boys” are not exactly used to. Matt and I went hiking and mountain-biking while Dad and Deano caught up on old times, but we did of course all eat and drink together, and quite a lot I might add. We’re on hols, so it’s allowed. Mountain-biking down Whistler was wicked, and the more I did it the more confident I became and so used the brakes a little less and hit the jumps a little faster and thus got a little more air each time. Good times, definitely wanna do it again. So after Whistler we caught the ferry across to Vancouver Island and I showed Dad and Matt the city and surrounds of where I have been living and working since January. I took them whale watching and what a trip it was. I/we saw the most amount of breaches (where an orca propels its entire body up and out of the water) I had ever seen in one trip. They literally couldn’t have asked for a better whale watching trip. I also took them across to San Juan Island one of the days and showed them where I lived for 3 months and the labs where I was working. They of course checked out Victoria and surrounds and we even went fishing one morning with my boss. We got up at sparrow’s fart and didn’t catch anything mind you, but still it was great being out on the water and managed to take home a few crabs from the crab pots. It was unbelievable how good the weather was while Dad and Matt were here – sunshine every day, so I guess summer is finally here. Thank heavens for that! I’ve only been waiting for over 4 months! Spring here this year was literally non-existent (the coldest on record they tell me) so I’m stoked it’s back to shorts and t-shirt weather. How long this lasts though is anyone’s guess. The three of us headed back to Van for a couple of days and basically ate and drank again, so as I write this I’ve made a vow of detox and cleansing for the next week or so. Poor Dad and Matt have another 10 days of catching up with family and friends in England, which means much food and drink so they’ll need a major detox when returning to the Land Down Under. So as I said I’m on the ferry as I write this, and they fly out from Vancouver in a couple of hours, bound for London. It was bloody terrific having them over here, and so glad they could see and experience what I’ve been up to over here, and meet the people I’ve been talking about from our weekly Skype conversations. This really is a beautiful part of the world, with spectacular scenery, great people, and of course, lots of marine mammals!
Well, hasn’t this blog gone on for a bloody long time. Still, I guess it has been about 4 months since I’ve written so wanna bring you all up to speed on Tim Timmy Timbo’s actions of late. I think I’ve already told you but I’m living in a shared 3br suite right on the edge of downtown Victoria and the 3 of us get along fine. I am of course the cleanest (anally retentive is the term used by some) but those of you that have lived with me will know that’s not hard. The landlords live upstairs and are great, and would certainly love it if I came back next year. Again, we’ll see. So that’s about it from me for a while. The next couple of months are going to be spent working my arse off and saving as much as I can, and all depending on my bank statement at the end of my time here will depend on my travel plans. If only Canadian wage… no, I won’t go there. But I do love it here, I’m getting some great experience and seeing some amazing things, and of course meeting some great people that share the same interests that I do.
Hope everyone is well and that those of you back in the land of Oz are enjoying your winter, cos guess what, I’m certainly enjoying my summer! ;-P I’d love to hear back from any of you when you get a chance, and can’t wait to have a brew or two with you all in the coming months. Stay safe, enjoy life to the fullest, just as I am doing up here in beautiful British Columbia.
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A whirwind Return To Oz – Feb ‘08
Greeting and salutations,
Well at least half of the previous month or so has been eventful. As most of you know I made a trip back to the Land Down Under to surprise Dad for his 60th. I left my place in Victoria at 5:30am on Wed Feb 13th and after a bus, ferry, bus, wait at airport, 2 plane rides totalling 18 hours, I arrived into Oz on the morning of Fri 15th Feb. I then caught a train down to Wollongong and got there at midday. I worked it out, that from the time I left my front door here in Canada to the time I arrived into Wollongong at my mate’s place (cheers Micky T), it had been 37 hours. Yep, 37 hours! Slept for about 7 of those hours, but surprisingly wasn’t feeling jet-lagged, and subsequently never did for my whole time in Oz. I guess it’s because I was going forward in time and although I skip a day, it’s essentially just like having a late night. So Mick picked me up on his lunchbreak, but of course had to go back to work, so I decided to go for a swim at North Gong beach, and it was spectacular! The water was around 21 degrees (Celsius), a much more comfortable temperature than the last time I swam in the ocean, which was here last Sept and the water was around 11 degrees Celsius! So I chilled in the Gong, caught up with a few old friends, then caught a lift back to Orange on the Sat evening. I sent Matt a text msg saying I was a few minutes away, so that was his cue to go upstairs so Dad would have to answer the door. I got dropped off down the street just in case Dad was in the front room or outside for some reason and saw the call pull up. It was around 9:30pm by the time I got into Orange, I rang the doorbell, waited, and saw Dad’s outline through the glass come from the kitchen to the front door. He opened and the door, jumped back about 2 feet as he grabbed his chest and exclaimed “Oh shit!”. I thought he was gonna have a heart attack! Hugs, tears of joy all around, and the whole time Matt was up on the stairs filming the cheerful reunion. See we Hunt boys have done a few surprises to our folks over the years, but they have never been documented, so I wanted to make sure this one was savoured. The surprise couldn’t have worked out better I don’t think. Dad had absolutely no idea, and that’s the way I wanted it. There was no way I was going to miss my old man’s 60th, so made the decision to fly back for it. So the next week was spent in Orange, soaking up the sunshine, catching up with friends, and of course spending time with the old man. Matty had just started uni in Bathurst so he was living it up on campus and unfortunately I didn’t get to see a lot of him and hang out, which I was seriously bummed about, but that’s the way it had to be I guess. Still, he had enough time to show off his tan, his golden locks, and of course how bloody ripped he’s got in 7 months! He certainly isn’t my “little” brother anymore! You can certainly tell he’s a personal trainer! Both Dad and Matt will be over in July for about 10 days so that will be great, and gives me time to try and not look so scrawny when standing next to my younger sibling.
The 60th surprise party for Dad was a huge success. A lot more people turned up than I had expected so that was really great to see. I had put together a powerpoint presentation of Dad’s 60 years- lots of embarrassing photos, great music, and got some laughs so it was all worth it. We had 40+ people crammed into our living room and on the front verandah looking through the windows to see the show on the TV. I don’t think we will ever get that many people in that one room again! The day after the party I went down to Canberra with Dad, and while he was at an awards dinner I caught up with a few of the old crew. (Great to see you Tom, Haase, Funky and Kyles). Monday arvo I headed to Sydney and caught up with more of the old crew- Stapo, Caz, Pat and Livi for dinner in Darling Harbor. The night was going swimmingly till Cazza’s bag was stolen from right underneath her! Sneaky buggers! I guess we were so engrossed in conversation we didn’t see a thing. The night ended somewhat positively as some of Caz’s cards were handed in to the police station, but still, a terrible thing to happen.
I flew out of Oz at midday on Tues 26th and arrived into LA at 6:30am on yep, Tues 26th, then back up to Vancouver in the afternoon. I was in Oz a total of 11 days, a whirlwind trip I know, but I caught up with a heap of people and of course on all the “goss” (pretty much half my high school grade is now engaged!). Lapped up the sunshine and the beautiful weather, drank many a Farmer’s Union Iced Coffee (bloody hell I love that stuff!) and got my “Aussie fix” that will last me till I return home at the end of the year, at least I hope it will last me (its’ going to have to isn’t it?!). Being home made me realise that Australia is truly where I want to be. Yes there are a lot of other beautiful countries out there that have a lot going for them (in my eyes), but I do think that Australia is the “lucky country” and it’s definitely where I want to be to build a career and raise some little Timmy (or Tammy) Hunt’s. It’s not until you step outside our shores that you realise what an amazing (and fortunate) country Australia really is.
So, in saying all that, I’m going to certainly enjoy my next 7-8 months here in Victoria, Canada. I’ll be lapping up the marine mammal life, meeting lots of new people, enjoying the spectacular scenery, sampling the fine brews and wines of the region, and I might just earn a buck or two doing it! Work hasn’t started yet, but should do in the next week or so (‘tis still very early in the season). I’ve been getting the run-around a bit, but know I will have employment, just don’t know who with yet! Will of course keep you all posted. I’m getting along fine with my housemates (a Russian lawyer and a guy in the Canadian Navy), so we have lots of experiences to talk about, if only they could understand me! (kidding)
Hope everyone is well and enjoying life wherever you are in the world. Stay safe, enjoy a glass of wine ever now and then (I know a lot of you already do!), and please make sure to recycle. ;-P
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Well at least half of the previous month or so has been eventful. As most of you know I made a trip back to the Land Down Under to surprise Dad for his 60th. I left my place in Victoria at 5:30am on Wed Feb 13th and after a bus, ferry, bus, wait at airport, 2 plane rides totalling 18 hours, I arrived into Oz on the morning of Fri 15th Feb. I then caught a train down to Wollongong and got there at midday. I worked it out, that from the time I left my front door here in Canada to the time I arrived into Wollongong at my mate’s place (cheers Micky T), it had been 37 hours. Yep, 37 hours! Slept for about 7 of those hours, but surprisingly wasn’t feeling jet-lagged, and subsequently never did for my whole time in Oz. I guess it’s because I was going forward in time and although I skip a day, it’s essentially just like having a late night. So Mick picked me up on his lunchbreak, but of course had to go back to work, so I decided to go for a swim at North Gong beach, and it was spectacular! The water was around 21 degrees (Celsius), a much more comfortable temperature than the last time I swam in the ocean, which was here last Sept and the water was around 11 degrees Celsius! So I chilled in the Gong, caught up with a few old friends, then caught a lift back to Orange on the Sat evening. I sent Matt a text msg saying I was a few minutes away, so that was his cue to go upstairs so Dad would have to answer the door. I got dropped off down the street just in case Dad was in the front room or outside for some reason and saw the call pull up. It was around 9:30pm by the time I got into Orange, I rang the doorbell, waited, and saw Dad’s outline through the glass come from the kitchen to the front door. He opened and the door, jumped back about 2 feet as he grabbed his chest and exclaimed “Oh shit!”. I thought he was gonna have a heart attack! Hugs, tears of joy all around, and the whole time Matt was up on the stairs filming the cheerful reunion. See we Hunt boys have done a few surprises to our folks over the years, but they have never been documented, so I wanted to make sure this one was savoured. The surprise couldn’t have worked out better I don’t think. Dad had absolutely no idea, and that’s the way I wanted it. There was no way I was going to miss my old man’s 60th, so made the decision to fly back for it. So the next week was spent in Orange, soaking up the sunshine, catching up with friends, and of course spending time with the old man. Matty had just started uni in Bathurst so he was living it up on campus and unfortunately I didn’t get to see a lot of him and hang out, which I was seriously bummed about, but that’s the way it had to be I guess. Still, he had enough time to show off his tan, his golden locks, and of course how bloody ripped he’s got in 7 months! He certainly isn’t my “little” brother anymore! You can certainly tell he’s a personal trainer! Both Dad and Matt will be over in July for about 10 days so that will be great, and gives me time to try and not look so scrawny when standing next to my younger sibling.
The 60th surprise party for Dad was a huge success. A lot more people turned up than I had expected so that was really great to see. I had put together a powerpoint presentation of Dad’s 60 years- lots of embarrassing photos, great music, and got some laughs so it was all worth it. We had 40+ people crammed into our living room and on the front verandah looking through the windows to see the show on the TV. I don’t think we will ever get that many people in that one room again! The day after the party I went down to Canberra with Dad, and while he was at an awards dinner I caught up with a few of the old crew. (Great to see you Tom, Haase, Funky and Kyles). Monday arvo I headed to Sydney and caught up with more of the old crew- Stapo, Caz, Pat and Livi for dinner in Darling Harbor. The night was going swimmingly till Cazza’s bag was stolen from right underneath her! Sneaky buggers! I guess we were so engrossed in conversation we didn’t see a thing. The night ended somewhat positively as some of Caz’s cards were handed in to the police station, but still, a terrible thing to happen.
I flew out of Oz at midday on Tues 26th and arrived into LA at 6:30am on yep, Tues 26th, then back up to Vancouver in the afternoon. I was in Oz a total of 11 days, a whirlwind trip I know, but I caught up with a heap of people and of course on all the “goss” (pretty much half my high school grade is now engaged!). Lapped up the sunshine and the beautiful weather, drank many a Farmer’s Union Iced Coffee (bloody hell I love that stuff!) and got my “Aussie fix” that will last me till I return home at the end of the year, at least I hope it will last me (its’ going to have to isn’t it?!). Being home made me realise that Australia is truly where I want to be. Yes there are a lot of other beautiful countries out there that have a lot going for them (in my eyes), but I do think that Australia is the “lucky country” and it’s definitely where I want to be to build a career and raise some little Timmy (or Tammy) Hunt’s. It’s not until you step outside our shores that you realise what an amazing (and fortunate) country Australia really is.
So, in saying all that, I’m going to certainly enjoy my next 7-8 months here in Victoria, Canada. I’ll be lapping up the marine mammal life, meeting lots of new people, enjoying the spectacular scenery, sampling the fine brews and wines of the region, and I might just earn a buck or two doing it! Work hasn’t started yet, but should do in the next week or so (‘tis still very early in the season). I’ve been getting the run-around a bit, but know I will have employment, just don’t know who with yet! Will of course keep you all posted. I’m getting along fine with my housemates (a Russian lawyer and a guy in the Canadian Navy), so we have lots of experiences to talk about, if only they could understand me! (kidding)
Hope everyone is well and enjoying life wherever you are in the world. Stay safe, enjoy a glass of wine ever now and then (I know a lot of you already do!), and please make sure to recycle. ;-P
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Monday, February 4, 2008
A more qualified Tim Timmy Timbo - Jan '08
G’Day everyone,
Well it has been about a month since I’ve posted an update on my activities, and around half of that has been spent becoming ‘more qualified’ to operate the passenger vessels here in Victoria. As I said in my last blog I was due to head across to Vancouver to do a couple of 4 day courses. I headed across from Vic to Van on the 11th Jan and stayed with Dean in this huge house he was house-sitting (doctor friend). This place is so big it has a separate climate controlled wine room. Unbelievable! The course in the first week was a marine radio course, so basically I learnt how to send a distress, urgency and safety signal/call over the radio. Quite basic, and just a money maker really, but it is internationally recognised which is a good thing. The second course was a marine emergencies course which was a lot more interesting. We had a firefighting day at a Fire Training Institute so got all decked out in basic fireman’s gear and put on fires with extinguishers and learnt hose operation techniques. Was great to finally learn about the different extinguishers and actually get hands on. Another day on the course was spent in the pool with clothes and lifejackets on and deploying and operating liferafts- basically learning about survival at sea, with an emphasis on surviving in cold water as it’s pretty damn cold water up here (around 10 degrees Celsius all year round). I’m not really going to be in these kinds of situations as I’m on a small passenger vessel and not going too far offshore, but it is definitely a valuable thing to know should I ever work on large vessels in the future.
The marine emergency course finished on Fri Jan 25th, so I headed up to Whistler that afternoon with Bec (friend from Oz that is working up there). It was a great trip up on the bus just seeing the snow get thicker and thicker on the roadside and surrounding areas. We arrived in Whistler around dinner and just chilled at Bec’s place as we had planned on being up early the next morning to line up at the pub. As it was already Australia Day in Oz on the Fri night I had myself a few Cooper’s Sparkling Ales (yep, I found some in Vancouver!). A 6 pack of Sparkling was actually $3 cheaper than a 6 pack of Pale. Go figure! Bec and I got up early on the 26th and dressed up in our Aussie gear and headed down to the pub. We got there at 8:30am and there was already a line-up! Pub was due to open doors at 9am so we just chatted to all the other Aussies in line that were dressed up to the nine’s. Met a couple from Adelaide that were lining up behind us and ended up hanging with them all day – top people, but being from Adelaide would you expect anything less?! I took a Sparkling in line with me and cracked it open at 9am, so having not eaten anything beforehand, I have now officially had a beer for breakfast! Apparently you haven’t lived until you’ve had a beer for breakfast, so Steve, you told me that back in ’02, and now I’ve lived. You proud of me?! ;-) So the rest of the day was spent in Longhorns Pub singing Aussie songs (several were repeated) and drinking Canadian beer. They did have VB cans available but for $6 each there was no way in my right mind I would pay that much for a VB! Maybe if it was 2 long necks I would! Anyhoo, it was a great day being surrounded by Aussies all dressed up in our home country’s gear, and definitely an Australia Day to remember! I was done and dusted by 9pm!
Left Whistler the next day and as I was walking around Whistler Village before I got on the bus I realised that I want to keep snow as a novelty and not live in it. Fortunately for me my career path will be able to keep things that way, unless of course I work in Alaska or Antarctica! The drive back down the west coast to Vancouver really is beautiful. Snow covered mountains and lakes, it truly is breathtaking.
Got back into Vic later that night and have been back for a week now. Unfortunately didn’t get out on any trips last week as they were cancelled due to bad weather. Had an interview last week with a whale watch company, and have a couple more this week, so hopefully by the end of the week I can at least decided on which company I’d like to work for and sort out a start date. I still have quite a few more hours to get logged and build up my boat skills, but it’s only going to get increasingly busier from now on so it looks like I will start in the office and at least get some money coming in until my hours are done and I can start taking passengers out myself.
Not much else to report here. We hit 5 degrees Celsius the other day so it is in fact getting warmer! Will let you all know when I’ve secured a job. In the meantime I’m prob gonna have to get a bar job or something. Mmm…
Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Well it has been about a month since I’ve posted an update on my activities, and around half of that has been spent becoming ‘more qualified’ to operate the passenger vessels here in Victoria. As I said in my last blog I was due to head across to Vancouver to do a couple of 4 day courses. I headed across from Vic to Van on the 11th Jan and stayed with Dean in this huge house he was house-sitting (doctor friend). This place is so big it has a separate climate controlled wine room. Unbelievable! The course in the first week was a marine radio course, so basically I learnt how to send a distress, urgency and safety signal/call over the radio. Quite basic, and just a money maker really, but it is internationally recognised which is a good thing. The second course was a marine emergencies course which was a lot more interesting. We had a firefighting day at a Fire Training Institute so got all decked out in basic fireman’s gear and put on fires with extinguishers and learnt hose operation techniques. Was great to finally learn about the different extinguishers and actually get hands on. Another day on the course was spent in the pool with clothes and lifejackets on and deploying and operating liferafts- basically learning about survival at sea, with an emphasis on surviving in cold water as it’s pretty damn cold water up here (around 10 degrees Celsius all year round). I’m not really going to be in these kinds of situations as I’m on a small passenger vessel and not going too far offshore, but it is definitely a valuable thing to know should I ever work on large vessels in the future.
The marine emergency course finished on Fri Jan 25th, so I headed up to Whistler that afternoon with Bec (friend from Oz that is working up there). It was a great trip up on the bus just seeing the snow get thicker and thicker on the roadside and surrounding areas. We arrived in Whistler around dinner and just chilled at Bec’s place as we had planned on being up early the next morning to line up at the pub. As it was already Australia Day in Oz on the Fri night I had myself a few Cooper’s Sparkling Ales (yep, I found some in Vancouver!). A 6 pack of Sparkling was actually $3 cheaper than a 6 pack of Pale. Go figure! Bec and I got up early on the 26th and dressed up in our Aussie gear and headed down to the pub. We got there at 8:30am and there was already a line-up! Pub was due to open doors at 9am so we just chatted to all the other Aussies in line that were dressed up to the nine’s. Met a couple from Adelaide that were lining up behind us and ended up hanging with them all day – top people, but being from Adelaide would you expect anything less?! I took a Sparkling in line with me and cracked it open at 9am, so having not eaten anything beforehand, I have now officially had a beer for breakfast! Apparently you haven’t lived until you’ve had a beer for breakfast, so Steve, you told me that back in ’02, and now I’ve lived. You proud of me?! ;-) So the rest of the day was spent in Longhorns Pub singing Aussie songs (several were repeated) and drinking Canadian beer. They did have VB cans available but for $6 each there was no way in my right mind I would pay that much for a VB! Maybe if it was 2 long necks I would! Anyhoo, it was a great day being surrounded by Aussies all dressed up in our home country’s gear, and definitely an Australia Day to remember! I was done and dusted by 9pm!
Left Whistler the next day and as I was walking around Whistler Village before I got on the bus I realised that I want to keep snow as a novelty and not live in it. Fortunately for me my career path will be able to keep things that way, unless of course I work in Alaska or Antarctica! The drive back down the west coast to Vancouver really is beautiful. Snow covered mountains and lakes, it truly is breathtaking.
Got back into Vic later that night and have been back for a week now. Unfortunately didn’t get out on any trips last week as they were cancelled due to bad weather. Had an interview last week with a whale watch company, and have a couple more this week, so hopefully by the end of the week I can at least decided on which company I’d like to work for and sort out a start date. I still have quite a few more hours to get logged and build up my boat skills, but it’s only going to get increasingly busier from now on so it looks like I will start in the office and at least get some money coming in until my hours are done and I can start taking passengers out myself.
Not much else to report here. We hit 5 degrees Celsius the other day so it is in fact getting warmer! Will let you all know when I’ve secured a job. In the meantime I’m prob gonna have to get a bar job or something. Mmm…
Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Just put the beer on the porch! 2008 begins…
Happy New Year and all the sweet jazz, hope 2008 is a great year for you all.
Well Xmas ‘07 was my first one away from the fam, but I spent it with another family so really it was like a typical Xmas, just with not soo many familiar faces. And I left the last blog hoping I was going to get a white Xmas, well, this lucky Aussie bloke’s wish came true! It began to snow around 11am Xmas morning and so within a couple of hours everything was white and I was stoked! I have documented video evidence to prove it! Apparently snow in Vancouver on Xmas day is very rare, and has only happened a few times in the last 20-30 years, so really, I was a very lucky boy! Was a typical Xmas, ate way too much, only this time instead of drinking out in the sun we were in front of the fire. And I didn’t have to worry about keeping the beers cold in the Esky or filling it with ice, I just grabbed a beer from outside on the back porch, and they were a perfect consuming temperature! Gotta love those big open fridges!
Spent the next few days in Van chilling with Deano, then on the 30th went to a Vancouver Canucks game, vs. the Anaheim Ducks. Was a great game, stadium was packed, and Canucks got up 2-1 so it was a very happy crowd. The only thing I disliked about the game/crowd was the booing, to me that’s just unsportsman-like. Who cares if you don’t like the other team, you don’t boo them. Silence is just as effective I reckon! Anyhoo, the Ducks have changed their team symbol so I was bit bummed about that. I was hoping to see the symbol I know from the Mighty Ducks movies! Apparently they changed the symbol a few years ago, ahh well. Still, ‘twas a great atmosphere, and ice hockey certainly is a great sport to watch. I’d love to play it sometime….
New Year’s Eve I spent on Saltspring Island (it’s west of Vancouver and southeast of Vancouver Island). ‘Twas an interesting night to say the least. Ended up in a hall in the middle of the island where a party was being held, and although I was with people I knew and their friends (not from Saltspring) I was certainly made aware of the fact that Island folk are definitely a different breed (some of them anyway). Spent the night at a friend of a friend’s place that lives on the highest point on Saltspring and woke up to a bloody spectacular view. I went out onto the snow covered porch (bout 3 inches) and overlooked southern Saltspring and could see San Juan Island and Mt Baker (USA) off into the distance. Awesome!
So the first day of 2008 I headed back to Victoria to my new place. I’m sharing a 3-bed suite with 2 other blokes. Place is fairly new but its appeal was the rent and location. I’m in downtown Victoria and only a 20-25min walk to the Inner Harbor which is where I’ll be working. I spent the first few days of 2008 settling in. Previous people that lived here were kind enough to leave me a desk and shelf, so all I had to do was buy myself an air mattress and I was set! I’ll see how I go with the air mattress for a couple of months, but I really do hate to think what it’s doing to my back. Anyhoo, so I’ve been out on a couple of whale watch trips to go towards the 60 hours I need, and man it’s bloody cold! Travelling at 30 knots with the cold air coming off the 9 degree water makes my face almost numb! But I went out last Saturday and we found Transient killer whales! My first transients! (mammal-eating killer whales as opposed to the residents which are fish-eating). As it’s winter and the company I’m going out with is the only company out on the water this time of year, it’s pretty much a “go out and see what we can find”, so spotting transients from way off was very lucky. You just have to look for the water vapour from the blows and then hopefully see a hint of a black dorsal fin. The driver who I’m going out with is the head zodiac driver from the biggest whale watch company here in Victoria so he knows exactly what to look for and really does have eyes like a hawk. I was able to impart my knowledge on the tourists as well, so really, I’m very confident in talking to the tourists and imparting my knowledge onto them, it’s just the actual operation of the boat that I need to build my skills in. I’m heading back to Vancouver at the end of this week as I have a couple of 4 day courses to complete as a requirement to operate passenger vessels. The courses finish on the 25th Jan, so I’ll head up to Whistler for Australia Day as I’ve heard it’s a pretty big party considering the mountain is covered in my country folk. Really looking forward to it. I’ll head back to Vic at the end of Jan and then use February to rack up the rest of my hours and then take my ‘Proficiency Test’ through Transport Canada. Hopefully by the end of March/early April I should be able to get a couple of trips out on my own. The thing you have to remember is, I’m a rookie driver, which means I’m last cab off the rank, but when I’m not driving I can get work on the bigger boats as a marine biologist and also a couple of days in the office to see how the business side of an ecotourism venture works. I have a meeting this week with one of the whale watch operators (probably the 3rd biggest) that initially expressed interest in me, so I’ll see what he has to say and go from there. I’m extremely confident I’ll get work, it’s just they type of work is what I want to specify with them. Although I could do office work no worries, it’s not what I’m here to do, and I’ve heard stories of companies employing people saying yeah we’ll get you out on the boats as naturalists/biologists and then they end up being stuck in the office because they prove themselves in that area. I’m here to be out on the water, and I really think I can bring a lot to the company I work for. Need to find work soon though, I’m truly living a basic life at the moment. I’d love a beer, but it’s bloody expensive here in BC! Maybe I can head across to San Juan Island and smuggle some cheap water flavoured beer back to the land of the maple leaf…
Anyway, I’ll keep you posted in the next month or so and will write another blog when I get back at the end of Jan. I am struggling a little bit with the cold weather, it’s the wind here that is the killer. Stop being a pansy I hear you cry. Yeah, I know, I’ll man up and get through it. You lucky buggers in Oz and your sunshine. Grrrr!
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
Well Xmas ‘07 was my first one away from the fam, but I spent it with another family so really it was like a typical Xmas, just with not soo many familiar faces. And I left the last blog hoping I was going to get a white Xmas, well, this lucky Aussie bloke’s wish came true! It began to snow around 11am Xmas morning and so within a couple of hours everything was white and I was stoked! I have documented video evidence to prove it! Apparently snow in Vancouver on Xmas day is very rare, and has only happened a few times in the last 20-30 years, so really, I was a very lucky boy! Was a typical Xmas, ate way too much, only this time instead of drinking out in the sun we were in front of the fire. And I didn’t have to worry about keeping the beers cold in the Esky or filling it with ice, I just grabbed a beer from outside on the back porch, and they were a perfect consuming temperature! Gotta love those big open fridges!
Spent the next few days in Van chilling with Deano, then on the 30th went to a Vancouver Canucks game, vs. the Anaheim Ducks. Was a great game, stadium was packed, and Canucks got up 2-1 so it was a very happy crowd. The only thing I disliked about the game/crowd was the booing, to me that’s just unsportsman-like. Who cares if you don’t like the other team, you don’t boo them. Silence is just as effective I reckon! Anyhoo, the Ducks have changed their team symbol so I was bit bummed about that. I was hoping to see the symbol I know from the Mighty Ducks movies! Apparently they changed the symbol a few years ago, ahh well. Still, ‘twas a great atmosphere, and ice hockey certainly is a great sport to watch. I’d love to play it sometime….
New Year’s Eve I spent on Saltspring Island (it’s west of Vancouver and southeast of Vancouver Island). ‘Twas an interesting night to say the least. Ended up in a hall in the middle of the island where a party was being held, and although I was with people I knew and their friends (not from Saltspring) I was certainly made aware of the fact that Island folk are definitely a different breed (some of them anyway). Spent the night at a friend of a friend’s place that lives on the highest point on Saltspring and woke up to a bloody spectacular view. I went out onto the snow covered porch (bout 3 inches) and overlooked southern Saltspring and could see San Juan Island and Mt Baker (USA) off into the distance. Awesome!
So the first day of 2008 I headed back to Victoria to my new place. I’m sharing a 3-bed suite with 2 other blokes. Place is fairly new but its appeal was the rent and location. I’m in downtown Victoria and only a 20-25min walk to the Inner Harbor which is where I’ll be working. I spent the first few days of 2008 settling in. Previous people that lived here were kind enough to leave me a desk and shelf, so all I had to do was buy myself an air mattress and I was set! I’ll see how I go with the air mattress for a couple of months, but I really do hate to think what it’s doing to my back. Anyhoo, so I’ve been out on a couple of whale watch trips to go towards the 60 hours I need, and man it’s bloody cold! Travelling at 30 knots with the cold air coming off the 9 degree water makes my face almost numb! But I went out last Saturday and we found Transient killer whales! My first transients! (mammal-eating killer whales as opposed to the residents which are fish-eating). As it’s winter and the company I’m going out with is the only company out on the water this time of year, it’s pretty much a “go out and see what we can find”, so spotting transients from way off was very lucky. You just have to look for the water vapour from the blows and then hopefully see a hint of a black dorsal fin. The driver who I’m going out with is the head zodiac driver from the biggest whale watch company here in Victoria so he knows exactly what to look for and really does have eyes like a hawk. I was able to impart my knowledge on the tourists as well, so really, I’m very confident in talking to the tourists and imparting my knowledge onto them, it’s just the actual operation of the boat that I need to build my skills in. I’m heading back to Vancouver at the end of this week as I have a couple of 4 day courses to complete as a requirement to operate passenger vessels. The courses finish on the 25th Jan, so I’ll head up to Whistler for Australia Day as I’ve heard it’s a pretty big party considering the mountain is covered in my country folk. Really looking forward to it. I’ll head back to Vic at the end of Jan and then use February to rack up the rest of my hours and then take my ‘Proficiency Test’ through Transport Canada. Hopefully by the end of March/early April I should be able to get a couple of trips out on my own. The thing you have to remember is, I’m a rookie driver, which means I’m last cab off the rank, but when I’m not driving I can get work on the bigger boats as a marine biologist and also a couple of days in the office to see how the business side of an ecotourism venture works. I have a meeting this week with one of the whale watch operators (probably the 3rd biggest) that initially expressed interest in me, so I’ll see what he has to say and go from there. I’m extremely confident I’ll get work, it’s just they type of work is what I want to specify with them. Although I could do office work no worries, it’s not what I’m here to do, and I’ve heard stories of companies employing people saying yeah we’ll get you out on the boats as naturalists/biologists and then they end up being stuck in the office because they prove themselves in that area. I’m here to be out on the water, and I really think I can bring a lot to the company I work for. Need to find work soon though, I’m truly living a basic life at the moment. I’d love a beer, but it’s bloody expensive here in BC! Maybe I can head across to San Juan Island and smuggle some cheap water flavoured beer back to the land of the maple leaf…
Anyway, I’ll keep you posted in the next month or so and will write another blog when I get back at the end of Jan. I am struggling a little bit with the cold weather, it’s the wind here that is the killer. Stop being a pansy I hear you cry. Yeah, I know, I’ll man up and get through it. You lucky buggers in Oz and your sunshine. Grrrr!
Tim, Timmy, Timbo
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