If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth a million.
In 2021, Greater Victoria residents witnessed impressive events, weather patterns and animal behaviour and even managed to capture it on video. Five in particular caught our attention and really represent some of the region鈥檚 most chaotic moments!
1. Gas shortage hits Greater Victoria
On Nov. 17, Black Press Media first reported supply chain issues at caused by flooding and road closures. In a reporter-captured video, vehicles can be seen lined up around Peninsula Co-op鈥檚 North Saanich location.
Other stations in Saanich, Sooke and Langford reported similar shortages on Nov. 17. Within days, the province of B.C. imposed and convoys of gas tankers were to restock dry pumps. Gas restrictions were finally on Dec. 14.
2. Seal hunt caught on film near Dallas Road
So my friend suggests I didn鈥檛 see a seal hunting fish earlier... but rather a seal being killed by a larger predator that remains below the surface.
鈥� Steffani Cameron, Deep State Operative (@SnarkySteff)
And now that I watched it from that perspective... eek.
Did I film a seal being killed on Dallas Road?
A peaceful sunset stroll turned into a savage display for a Victoria woman in January, and she caught it all on video.
Steffani Cameron was on an evening walk along Dallas Road when something in the water caught her eye. In a video posted to Twitter, a small mammal can be seen struggling with another creature under the water鈥檚 surface.
While Cameron originally assumed the mammal was being injured, an employee with the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea it was probably just hunting unseen fish beneath the waves.
3. Tow truck helps move 850-tonne ship at Victoria shipyard
A retired was on scene at a Victoria shipyard in February to take on one of its biggest jobs yet.
The heavy wrecker tow truck was used to help shift an 850-tonne Canadian Coast Guard ship into launching position, and it didn鈥檛 let us down. In a video captured by Black Press Media, the bright red truck can be seen dwarfed by the much larger Coast Guard ship at the waterfront.
4. Sneaky seal infiltrates salmon spawning site
A lucky visitor spotted an unusual guest taking advantage of the busy Goldstream Provincial Park river during spawning season this year. On Nov. 11, Ruban Rebalkin was visiting the park with his family when his daughters spied a seal slipping into the water near the visitor鈥檚 parking lot.
The quick-thinking resident was able to of the seal waddling into the fish-filled waters, watched by a trio of seagulls.
鈥淲e saw a BC Parks employee who said he had been working there for 30 years and had never seen such a thing,鈥� Rebalkin later told Black Press Media.
5. Greater Victoria recovering from floods, outages
Within hours of hitting Vancouver Island on Nov. 15, showing the rain, flooding and wind that struck the region.
Videos from Sooke to Saanich to Sidney show , rushing rivers and across Greater Victoria. The only captures a few moments of the overwhelming conditions residents endured in November.
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