Ogopogo: Denizen of the Deep

I am often asked why I spend as much time as I do in pursuit of Ogopogo, the denizen of Okanagan Lake. The reason is straightforward: Because it is there. I know this animal to be a real entity as I have seen it on more than one occasion.

What is it? Blowed if I know. My closest encounter with this creature was actually through the lenses of a 40X telescope on August 30, 1989. The animal appeared off Peach Orchard beach in Summerland, in front of at least 50 witnesses including myself. I was able to look at the creature through the telescope when it was between 100 – 150 metres offshore. At that point in the minute or so long sighting, the animal was about three feet out of the water and I was able to see, clearly, five humps.

They were all jet black in colour and it struck me that skin was very similar to that of the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca), but there were no white bands at all to be seen. Even more curious was the presence of tubercles which are growths under the skin that are seen on other whales such as the Blue, Humpback and Right whales for instance.

Dr Roy Mackal has posited for a long time that lake cryptids may well be relict zeuglodons that have survived and have adapted freshwater environments. Zeuglodons – or basilosaurs as they are also known – are often depicted as lizard-like whales with skin similar to that of a Killer Whale. The animals I have seen at Okanagan were only whale-like in terms of their skin, and that is where the resemblance ends. No whale I know of has a long neck – which I have seen partially for myself – as Ogopogo does, nor do any whales have the sort of tail I have seen. Some Ogopogo witnesses claim to have seen a bilobate tail, but this has not been my experience.

Last year a tourist from Alberta snapped a photograph of what appears to be the single hump of an Ogopogo. I know the picture was taken at Okanagan Lake as I recognized many landmarks in the picture. After examining it closely I saw no evidence of tampering and was astonished to see the whale-like skin once again. We do not have the rights yet to show this picture on Cryptomundo, but I am working on it. However, I can still describe for you the characteristics of the hump in the photo. It appears to be about two feet out of the water and is jet back in colour save for a greyish-whitish band that goes vertically over the hump from one side to the other. What is really interesting is what appears to be an extremely flattened vertebra along the spinal ridge. I have never seen anything like it and am at a loss to even speculate what it could be.

The tourist did not even know he had taken the creature’s photo and was surprised when he came across the image after having had hundreds of vacation snaps developed. The photo crowned a good year for sightings including one by the brother of John Casorso, who filmed some unusual activity in the lake in August of 2004. Casorso’s brother was working in an Orchard behind and above Manteo Resort when he saw a huge black object leaping out of the water. It was huge and created quite splash when it hit the water. A nearby boater closed in to investigate the splash, but it is not known what he/she saw close-up as Casorso was unable to track him/her down.

Last summer, two elderly citizens saw Ogopogo off Beach Avenue in Peachland. The pair, a husband and wife, could not believe their eyes. The husband had previously rabidly refused to consider that there was an unknown creature in the lake, but as a result of this experience, he now is adamant that there is a cryptid in the lake.

I spent a good deal of time at Okanagan Lake last year, but did not have any luck with a sighting despite terrific weather and a lot of observation on the lake itself. I did however do something I have never done before at Okanagan Lake: I actually entered the water. Having seen the animal in the lake on a number of occasions, I had a real issue with getting into the water for 17 years. I watched divers and cameramen enter the lake, but none of these people had seen Ogopogo and I am sure they would not have if they did. I know many other people who have seen Ogopogo who won’t go out on the lake again never mind taking a dip in it. I am happy to report that I made multiple forays into the lake, and have returned from the ventures with all anatomical parts intact.

This summer I will be repeating my dives in the lake and will be reporting to you anything I see or hear about the Lake Demon Naikata, Lord of the Waves.

John Kirk About John Kirk
One of the founders of the BCSCC, John Kirk has enjoyed a varied and exciting career path. Both a print and broadcast journalist, John Kirk has in recent years been at the forefront of much of the BCSCC’s expeditions, investigations and publishing. John has been particularly interested in the phenomenon of unknown aquatic cryptids around the world and is the author of In the Domain of the Lake Monsters (Key Porter Books, 1998). In addition to his interest in freshwater cryptids, John has been keenly interested in investigating the possible existence of sasquatch and other bipedal hominids of the world, and in particular, the Yeren of China. John is also chairman of the Crypto Safari organization, which specializes in sending teams of investigators to remote parts of the world to search for animals as yet unidentified by science. John travelled with a Crypto Safari team to Cameroon and northern Republic of Congo to interview witnesses among the Baka pygmies and Bantu bushmen who have sighted a large unknown animal that bears more than a superficial resemblance to a dinosaur. Since 1996, John Kirk has been editor and publisher of the BCSCC Quarterly which is the flagship publication of the BCSCC. In demand at conferences, seminars, lectures and on television and radio programs, John has spoken all over North America and has appeared in programs on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, TLC, Discovery, CBC, CTV and the BBC. In his personal life John spends much time studying the histories of Scottish Clans and is himself the president of the Clan Kirk Society. John is also an avid soccer enthusiast and player.

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