A whale’s blow.
I lean out a little farther, narrowing my focus as the swell rolls beneath us again.
The whale surfaces briefly, a dark curve of its back breaking through the water before slipping beneath the waves again.
A moment later, the blow rises once more, a plume of mist lifting into the wind before fading into the air.
Same spot.
My eyes stay there as the next swell rolls through.
The whale surfaces again, slower this time, lingering near the surface before disappearing beneath the water once more.
The pilot begins to pass it, but something about the pattern makes my chest tighten.
The whale isn’t traveling.
It’s circling.
“Hold on a second,” I say into the headset, leaning farther out of the door.
The helicopter slows slightly as I track the spot where the whale surfaced.
Another swell lifts.
And then I see it.
A flash of color between the waves.
Orange.
My pulse kicks hard against my ribs.
“Contact!” I shout into the headset.
The pilot responds instantly.
“Where?”
“Starboard side! Just beyond the whale!”
The aircraft banks sharply as I keep my eyes locked on the water.
A shape rises between the swells again.
A man with the bright orange of his flotation vest rocking with the swell.
Relief hits me like a punch to the chest.
Found you.
“Visual confirmed!” the crew chief calls.
The pilot swings us around again, bringing the helicopter into position above the drifting figure as the wind from the rotors tears across the water below.
“Hold steady,” I say, never taking my eyes off the man floating beneath us.
The aircraft lowers carefully while I move toward the edge of the door, securing the last strap of my harness as the crew chief clips the hoist cable into place.
