Ogopogo Expedition Sept.21 – 22, 2023
In June of 2023, he was contacted by Bill Gibbons of Calgary, a longtime researcher of the subject of Ogopogo. Bill asked him if he would be willing to do a joint expedition in September in search of the "creature" reputed to be in Lake Okanagan. This would be a scouting expedition in advance of a major expedition planned for 2024. Bill was thrilled because he knew that Bill Gibbons had spent many years searching for these cryptids all over the world (animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science, such as the Loch Ness Monster). Bill felt that between his research and that done by Bill Steciuk, there was a possibility of finding some positive evidence.
With a scheduled departure date of September 21st, this time they were concentrating on an area from Squally Point in the south to Carr’s Landing in the north. They were interested in exploring the deep water close to shore, specifically those at the tributaries which feed the lake. Bill Gibbon had purchased a new R.O.V. (remote operating vehicle) which could descend to 100M (328 feet). It had a video camera and lights and was at the cutting edge of this technology. This year's expedition's was using a 6.4m (21-ft.) Harbourcraft captained by owner Ryan Dabisza. Bill’s son Andrew, also from Calgary, joined them as part of their crew of four.
The first day of their expedition was sunny and warm, with the lake being completely calm. They launched from the Cook Road boat launch next to the Hotel Eldorado at around 9:30am. Their targetted destination for the day was Squally Point, to the south of Kelowna. This was the area in which a marathon swimmer named Daryl Ellis had told of having an incredible sighting in 2000 while he was training. On the way to Squally Point, they arrived at Rattlesnake Island and moored the boat in about 60 meters (200 feet) of water and deployed Bill's R.O.V.
A sudden strong wind from the north came up, creating substantial swells on the surface of the lake. They decided to start back to get closer to Kelowna. After about an hour and a half, just as quickly as the wind had come up it suddenly stopped, and the lake became calm once again. The sun came out and they decided to stop in the middle of the lake south of Scroggins Creek. They spent two more hours watching the lake and talking about the many sightings of "Ogopogo" that had been reported over the years. They were disappointed with the day’s events but were looking forward to the next day’s search towards the north end of the lake.
September 22nd was a gorgeous day when they once again launched from the Cook Road boat launch at 9:30 A.M. The plan was to explore the waters at the mouth of Bear Creek on the west side as well as the deepest part of Lake Okanagan south of Carr’s Landing. When they arrived at Bear Creek, they moored about 15 meters (50 feet) from the shore, and set up their equipment. This Provincial Park area is known for its many encounters with a large presence in Lake Okanagan at this location.
The water at the mouth was crystal clear but chocked with milfoil. To Bill Steciuk's surprise, he saw a dark form moving swiftly under the boat towards deeper water. Andrew, who was at the bow of the boat, also caught a glimpse of the object as it passed by. They both agreed that it was black in colour and upwards of a meter (3 feet) long and approximately 15cm (6 inches) in width. They speculated that the depth of the water and the presence of nutrients supplied by the creek would make this spot an ideal “nursery” for an immature species to develop, if this was indeed a smaller version of "Ogopogo".
After waiting for another hour to see if the creature would reappear, they headed towards Lake Okanagan’s deepest part. When they arrived 25 minutes later, the lake was as smooth as glass. The depth at that spot was about 230 meters (750 feet), which was where two separate sightings had previously been reported in 2019 and 2020. Two hours had passed when suddenly to the west a black form appeared on the surface and was churning up the water in a zigzag motion. Bill began filming immediately and was able to record 20 seconds of video before the lake became calm. Could this be Ogopogo, finally gracing us with its presence? The object was about 30m(100Ft.) away and could have been about 3m (9Ft.) long. It was far too big to be a species of fish and was creating high white-capped waves.
That was certainly a crowning moment of their expedition. Bill and his friends are now looking forward to another expedition planned for 2024, which will include R.O.V.s, waterproof drones and hydroacoustic equipment.