There have been numerous tragedies in the ocean around Washington’s Cape Flattery and Canada’s Vancouver Island. The area has a list of hazards that make it complicated to forecast the weather accurately. Currents, undercurrents, near-shore currents, reverse currents, tides, prevailing winds, upwelling, and freshwater runoff are all factors that boat operators need to consider.
The area also has sizable waves coming from the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and when they come against the direction of the current, it creates dangerous standing waves. Not only that, but something known as rogue waves—unpredictable walls of water that develop out at sea—can surprise boaters in calm waters.
The waters in this area are part of what is known as the California Current System, a current of cold water that reaches from Alaska down to California. Cold, deep, nutrient-rich water upwells in the summer months, attracting marine life—including whales—with an abundance of food. Commercial fishermen, sailors, and sightseeing tours all share the waters. But immersion in water colder than fifty degrees is dangerous for humans, and boaters must be cautious.
Even with all those odds, there are many stories of survival. I was amazed to read about a woman who fell off a boat in the Puget Sound area and swam for seven hours before she was found and plucked from the water by a passing boat. She credited her survival to the company of a seal who stayed with her for the whole ordeal. The one thing most survivors have in common is the will to keep going. That is what fascinated and inspired me to write this story.
While this story was inspired by true events, and every effort was made to keep to the facts, some details are fictional, including the names of the characters and some settings, as well as the presence of an eagle cam in the particular location of Cape Flattery. (There are eagle cams in the Puget Sound area.)