Ogopogo

I was web browsing here in the UK and don't why but my eldest son spoke of the sighting we had back in 2011 in Okanagan Lake and googled and found your article in the Kelowna News. Made me want to let you know what happened to us.

My family (wife and 3 boys) had an amazing 2 week holiday in Kelowna back in April 2011. We stayed in a holiday apartment right by the lake near the nature reserve and not far from the ice hockey stadium.  Apart from 2 days in Vancouver we pretty much spent 2 weeks by the lake and often walked from the apartment into the town centre several times a day. We saw everything from beaver to muskrat to the ospreys.

Of course we soon were made aware of Ogopogo and saw the large model of it down by the boat harbour. If I’m honest we thought it a tourist gimick and nothing more.

2 days before we left (we flew home the day of the Royal Wedding) we walked into the town centre to get some information on property (we're finally making the move to emigrate to Canada). I recall at the time workman laying down a new surface by the pedestrian path near the lake and remember just coming near the Okanagan Grand Hotel (had a name like this) when in the corner of my eye I saw a very large disturbance out on the lake.  We all looked and could see a very large animal/creature rolling and turning-it was making the water foam and thrash but wasn't actually moving as it just stayed in the same spot.  Looked like a massive drum rolling. It stayed in the same spot for I’d say about 20 seconds and then disappeared under the water. I remember it was dark in colour, smooth and from the distance it was out looked very big. I'd estimate a good 30 foot in length.

After getting my nerves under control we were just about to discuss what we saw when to our horror (my youngest was a year old at the time and I was pushing the pushchair, my other boys were 7 and 10 years old) these enormous humps appeared in front of us about 100 feet out. The thing we'd seen had obviously it seemed moved in toward the shore. If I'm honest I started yelling expletives and told my wife to get the kids away from the lake side. There were a couple of huge humps visible which went up and down in a sinuous manner and moved very quickly off toward Okanagan bridge. We watched until they went out of sight but I was amazed how fast they went. I remember holding the pushchair and my hands shaking from the experience. Just couldn't believe what had happened.

We don't talk about it much - people think we're making it up and tell us it was a large fish. I have no idea what it was we saw that day but I struggle to believe that any freshwater fish can be that large and move that fast. No way and I won't be told otherwise. Believe it or not the wife and I have seen whales (even though we live in the UK) and if you ask my wife she'd tell it was a whale, only that there's no known whales in that lake or freshwater (unless I'm mistaken).

I still remember it clear as day. Its made me more open minded on matters I was skeptical of in the past. Its funny because my 2 oldest boys talk very nonchalantly about it but I feel very privileged to have seen what we did.

Whatever it is, and it’s definitely there, make sure you look after it. I'm certain one day it just has to proven to be more than sturgeon or a myth.

Kind regards,
Rob Harris