Wild North American River otter Experience along the Pacific Coast

Written and submitted by Diane Tomecek

For readers that know me, this will not be new information, but let me begin by stating that I am an otter fanatic!  I think many of us are; and how could we not be - they are adorable creatures after all.  It seems many individuals experience both river and sea otters in aquariums or zoos, but it is extra special to encounter them in their natural habitat.  My husband and I have had the privilege of experiencing both river and sea otters in aquariums and wildlife sanctuaries, as well as in the wild. 

As an amateur photographer, I’m always looking to combine my love of travel with that of otters. I find myself continuously drawn to the Pacific in central California or the rugged coastlines of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.  Could it be that these areas are home to my favorite…the sea otter?  Yeah, that’s it!

Our very first experience, though, with otters in the wild of the Pacific Northwest was with two North American River otters in Oak Bay along the southeast coastline of Vancouver Island.  My husband and I were out for an early evening drive along the coast.  I was watching the water for signs of wildlife, especially river otters.  I had read about a family of river otters that inhabit the waters between Discovery Island and Oak Bay so I was especially vigilant to spot any sign of river otters.  I was not really expecting to see anything, however.  But upon our arrival at a calm inlet site, I saw an animal which I assumed to be a cormorant dive into the water.  I watched for a minute and saw it appear again and swim along the top of the water.  This was no cormorant!  My husband, being also “otter alert,” saw what I had witnessed and was already pulling our car over to a parking area.  Well, he was not fast enough for this otter fanatic because immediately upon identifying the “cormorant” as a river otter, I yelled “Stop!  Pull over!  That is a river otter!”  He calmly turned to me in my excitement and said “Don’t worry, we are stopping.  I have you covered.  I see it too.”  Needless to say, I did not hear him.  I had already unpacked my camera and was high-tailing it to a section of rocks to watch the otter.  “Wow, this is so cool!” I thought.  Upon reaching the rocks, though, I was in for another surprise – swimming closer to shore was another river otter.  I could not believe our luck!  This was an experience to remember forever!  We stayed on the rocks watching the otters for close to an hour.  It was incredible to witness them come out onto the rocks about fifty feet from our location to “chow” on their fish dinner.  I still wonder at the  incredible experience we had that evening.