For centuries, humans have thought of the dolphin as a distant cousin, dwelling in the sea. They share our high intelligence, they have saved drowning people and, unlike most wildlife, they seem to seek out encounters with humans.

Northwest Backroads

Humans think of dolphins as their distant cousins.

In the chilly waters of the Northwest, it's as close as we can usually get to the Pacific white-sided dolphin.

The chilly and rough waters off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia, is a divers' paradise. There we joined an energized group of Northwest divers eager to experience something that can only be described as "uniquely Northwest."

"The times we've seen the Pacific white-sided dolphin, there's been the primal urge for me to rejoin my distant cousins and I'm ready to do that today," said Jamie Holliday.

With high winds and the water temperature in the 40s, nothing could keep these divers from their goal.

Skipper Jim Borrowman is an expert at locating marine mammals in these waters and he was headed toward the spot where he hoped to find dolphins.

As it turned out, the dolphins actually found them and waited excitedly off the side of the boat, eager to play.

The divers were eager to join them.

Immediately the dolphins begin interacting with the divers. They appeared to be as thrilled with this encounter as the people and played enthusiastically.

These divers certainly experienced the ultimate wildlife encounter that day – one that left them convinced there is a special bond between human and dolphin.

The Pacific white-sided dolphin inhabits the entire Pacific range and is considered a deep-eater species, but in recent years they have been seen closer to shore and inland waters. They are powerful swimmers, they love to bow-ride and surf, and they often leap and somersault. Witnessing them in action is truly an amazing site.