Sometimes what we perceive as mistakes are actually blessings in disguise. This is what Vancouver Island-based underwater videographer Peter Mieras discovered when he lost his action camera in the ocean—only to accidentally capture a breathtaking video of a humpback whale in the process.
Mieras attached his Insta360 X4 camera to a fishing rod in the hopes of capturing interesting footage in the shallow waters near his home in Barkley Sound. However, before he could test his idea, the fishing line snapped and the camera sank to the ocean floor.
Prior to diving down to retrieve his equipment, Mieras spotted a flurry of activity nearby—a flock of birds and a herd of sea lions splashing wildly as they feasted on a school of anchovies just meters from the dock. He says, “(It was) a little bit like a National Geographic moment.” Mieras quickly pulled out another camera and started filming the action above water.
Suddenly, a giant humpback whale joined the frenzy—something Mieras and his wife, Kathy, who run Rendezvous Dive Adventures, had never seen happen right beside their dock in such shallow water. “Oh man! It was thrilling,” recalls Kathy. “Anything that size, that close. It almost took your breath away.”
After nearly two hours of filming the thrilling scene from above the water, Mieras finally recovered his lost camera from the ocean floor. And when he and his wife played back the footage, they were stunned by the incredible scene it had accidentally recorded.
As if deliberately staged, the perfectly framed video shows a massive school of fish blocking out the sun just before a humpback whale charges through, sending them spiraling toward the camera. Later, the whale and a group of sea lions return for another round of hunting. “We just burst with glee,” said Kathy. “We just watched it over and over again because we just couldn’t believe what we were seeing.”
This incredible story proves that life’s mishaps can sometimes turn out even better than expected. As Mieras puts it, “Failure is just another step toward success.” Kathy adds her own perspective, saying, “One way to get amazing things is to take the risk. You just got to try and try, because you just never know.”
Underwater videographer Peter Mieras unintentionally captured stunning footage of a humpback whale after his action camera dropped to the ocean floor in Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island.
The action above the water was just as thrilling, and luckily, Mieras captured it all on another camera.
Peter Mieras: Facebook | Instagram
Sources: When your 360° camera is left under your dock. #underwaterfilming #insta360 #whales; B.C. man drops camera into ocean, accidentally captures ‘breathtaking’ whale video
Related Articles:
Humpback Whale Breaks Migration Record and Baffles Scientists by Making 8,000-Mile Journey
Striking Underwater Footage Captures a Sperm Whale Approaching and “Scanning” a Diver
First Ever Sighting of Humpback Whales Having Sex Features Two Males
Kayaker Encounters Massive Whale Tail Sticking Up Out of the Water