Augmented reality killer whale experience dives into Victoria studio

Out at sea, strict rules ensure everyone keeps their distance from B.C.’s endangered southern resident killer whales. On shore in a Victoria studio, a unique experience allows folks to get up close and personal with the iconic West Coast species.

Using augmented reality technology, Critical Distance submerges audiences under the water alongside a group of southern resident orcas known as J pod, revealing the urgent challenges they face for survival.

“It’s magical,” says Susie Washington-Smyth, project manager for Southern Gulf Islands Whale Sighting Network, about her first time putting on the AR headset to go under the sea. “It feels like you’re swimming with them, and you can reach out your hand and touch them.”

Created by U.K.-based production company Vision 3, Critical Distance was first shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021, before spending six months at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

It was never shown in Canada – not until Washington-Smyth and her Network colleagues stumbled across it years later.

With funding from Parks Canada, SGIWSN and Saturna Island Marine Research and Education Society have showcased the immersive mixed reality experience in Vancouver, Ottawa and the Southern Gulf Islands.

It will be Victoria’s turn in June, when it comes to Studio 531 downtown.

“Some people cry when they go through it,” Washington-Smyth says. “I’ve never heard anybody just walk out and just say, ‘Oh, that was interesting.’ It’s touched them in some kind of visceral way, which is the intent.”

The story of J pod is told through the eyes of eight-year-old orca Kiki, as they navigate the Salish Sea using echolocation to communicate, hunt and stay connected.

Audiences will also experience the threat noise pollution poses to the future of the pod, which can hinder communication and prevent them from locating the limited prey available to them.

“You have different levels of ships that come overhead, and you begin to understand the acoustic impacts and the physical disturbance,” Washington-Smyth says.

While safety restrictions don’t allow Critical Distance to demonstrate the sound created by large cargo ships at their full volume, the noisy augmented world is still a sad reflection of the southern residents’ experience – one that Washington-Smyth fears is only getting worse.

Led by volunteers, the multi-island science group SGIWSN monitors whale activity around Saturna, Pender, Mayne and Galiano islands, as well as monitoring vessel interactions in the area.

While vessels have been encouraged to slow down in the Haro Strait and Boundary Pass to help minimize noise and physical disturbance, Washington-Smyth says the group has observed a significant increase in tanker traffic, likely caused by the expansion of Trans Mountain’s oil handling facility in the Port of Vancouver.

Completed in May 2024, the expanded Westridge Marine Terminal has increased capacity from five medium-sized tankers per month to a maximum of 34 per month.

“So that’s going to impact any kind of mitigation measures that have been successful,” said Washington-Smyth. “And there’s nothing that I know of in place by the federal government to ensure that noise is further reduced.

“It’s all been ‘tinsel and glitter’ and no real serious, hard action … all the scientists agree that we’ve got to reduce the noise, and yet there’s nothing really substantive that’s happening.”

Washington-Smyth hopes Critical Distance can turn the tide on the fate of the endangered whales and inspire people to fight for change.

As unlike some of the other challenges faced by the southern residents, including a shortage of chinook salmon and environmental contaminants, acoustic disturbance is something that could be tackled “fairly smartly” if there is the “political will and social capital to make it happen.”

“One of the things I think we’ve realized is that science alone doesn’t cut it … you need to be able to create an emotional relationship for the average person,” she says. “It’s one thing to think about it from an intellectual experience, but it’s another thing to experience it so you feel it emotionally.

“If we bring a sense of urgency to the public, maybe we collectively can make a difference – there’s still time to do that, but it’s up to us to be able to advocate for change, and that’s why we feel so strongly about Critical Distance.”

Folks aged 10 and over can join the southern residents under the sea from June 6 to 8 at Studio 531, located at 546 Herald St. For more information and tickets for Critical Distance, visit simpli.events/e/criticaldistance