PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 103 pride of lions as if we were buffalo,” Susan recalls. “I've been chased in vehicles by elephants and by rhinos. I've been chased in a canoe by a hippo. That was a heart-pounder.” Susan says it’s imperative to find a guide with a healthy respect for the wild and the expertise to keep both you and the animals safe. Environment also plays a factor. “There are certain parts of Alaska, like Lake Clark and Brooks Falls, where there's a lot of food around and the bears don't really care about people and you can get really close,” Susan says. Take that assumption elsewhere, however, and you could find yourself in a sticky situation. Respecting nature’s wildness is also crucial out in the briny deep. Susan brings up another anecdote, this one a tale about a whale. “Some of the whales can be quite … playful?” Susan chuckles as she recalls swimming with humpbacks and their calves in Tonga. “There was this one female whale who wanted to play with us. She was like a big puppy—and it was terrifying. We were like, ‘Get us out of the water now. We do not want to play with the whale!” The whale had Susan so preoccupied, she was unaware that another one was headed her way. “I ended up being directly in his path,” she says. Looking down, she saw a semi-truck-sized body passing inches beneath her. “I tucked into a cannonball and he swam his entire body length right underneath me!” If the whale had chosen to dive and struck Susan with its tail, the impact could have been lethal. Instead, “very gently, he lifted his left fluke and tapped my thigh,” she says. Just a gentle greeting from a friendly giant. Wild Wonder
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