We have anchored on the west coast of Gribbell Island. The weather is set fair and this promises to be a rather special day. The plan is to try and have a really good bear experience and maybe even encounter a spirit bear.

The spirit bear (or kermode bear) is a sub-species of the American black bear and is not an albino. The white fur comes from a recessive gene (two black coloured bears can parent a white cub if they both carry the recessive gene). There are between 100 and 500 white black bears. A male can weigh more than 225kg and a female is much smaller at 135kg. It is thought that the light colour gives these bears an advantage when fishing, as they are harder to see against the bright sky. On average they catch 35% more fish than a black coloured bear.

We are eager for action. We meet Marvin (who belongs to the Gitga’at people) who will guide us and take us to a special stretch of river where bears are regularly seen. He lives in Hartley Bay which is a First Nations community.

It is home to the Gitga’ata (sometimes Gitga’at or Gitk’a’ata), which means “People of the Cane.” The Gitga’at are members of the Tsimshian nation. As of 2013, 167 band members live on the reserve and 533 members live off reserve in Prince Rupert, Vancouver or other regions. A distinctive feature of the community is the wooden boardwalks which are used rather than gravel roads.

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We step ashore, scrambling over 20 feet of boulders, and take the 20 minute walk along an old logging road. It is now becoming overgrown with alders and a variety of shrubs, mosses and ferns, but there is nevertheless a clear and easy path to follow. We hear wolves howling. Goodness – if we saw them this would be truly amazing! Apparently, they are occasionally seen here but are very wary of people. It is unlikely that they will put in an appearance. The going is easy apart from a short steep stretch down to the river but fortunately ropes have been installed to ease our passage. There are three designated viewing places along the river bank, comprising 2 platforms and for the photographers – camping chairs along the path.

We sit quietly, watching and waiting. The wolf calls are growing louder and one of Marvin’s spotters says a wolf is approaching. How exciting! But it is not too be. We have clearly been seen and the wolves have distanced themselves. We sit quietly for several hours. Time to photograph the mosses and ferns.

It is not particularly cold but sitting still for a long while does eventually let a chill creep in. We are delighted to be handed a steaming mug of hot chocolate. It tastes good.

Small birds flit among the undergrowth and provide some camera target practice. A family of dippers entertain us with their bobbing movement as they hop from pebble to pebble in the river, catching small insects and larvae.

Then at last there is action. Marvin says a bear has been seen and is heading our way. This time we are not disappointed. A black body emerges from the undergrowth a couple of hundred metres upstream.

It only puts in a brief appearance but it shows promise. Now we are all re-focussed. Maybe another hour passes and we go back to capturing dippers, kingfishers and watching the numerous salmon battling their way upstream in the too shallow water.

Then another bear appears – maybe the same one. She is upstream but slowly and steadily heading towards the first platform.

We click away, trying to bag as many shots as possible. You have no idea until after the event just what the quality of the encounter will be. Pixels are free so we just keep shooting. The bear pauses to glance up at her audience… I wonder what she is thinking.

She passes the platform and makes her way into the stream and towards us, searching for fish as she goes.

I have moved position and moved lower and closer to the water’s edge. My comfort is that Marvin is sitting next to me and I reckon if he thinks I am safe, then I probably am. However, my heart is pounding and the black bear just keeps coming. She is crossing the stream and walking directly towards me – 12 feet away. What the heck am I doing. My heart is pounding but I have to just keep clicking the shutter.

She then changes direction and ambles along the centre of the stream. She pounces and successfully catches a salmon. Marvin smiles and punches the air with his fist. What a thing to observe…and so close. We watch as she munches away. For good measure, I also take some video, but as it happens, I have some pretty decent photos. What a privilege!

We stay all day and the crew bring us packed lunches. Nobody is bored – even the non-photographers are finding the location mesmerising. We are certainly in luck today and our patience is rewarded by the appearance of a spirit bear. It is not close and not everyone sees it…. But I am lucky and do!

This is the day that just keeps giving. Back aboard Cascadia there is an announcement that humpback whales are breaching in front of the boat. Well, it turns out that they are not only ahead of us, but also to our stern. What a performance they are putting on! It lasts for over an hour. Astonishing. Fin slapping, rolling and then huge breaches with a resultant gigantic explosion of water. This is followed by a delayed boom of thunder as the whales’ impact on the surface is heard. Nobody quite understands why the whales behave in this manner but it is thought that it could be a form of communication.