He’s seen Ogopogo. Here’s how you can catch a glimpse, too

It was October 1978, and Bill Steciuk was driving down the hill from West Kelowna and crossing the bridge.

To his right, he saw three small humps and what appeared to be a head moving in the water towards Kelowna. He pulled over, scurried out of his car, and ran to peer over the edge of the bridge.

This, obviously, snarled traffic, forcing others out of their car to look, too. He soon found himself surrounded by about 20 people studying what was protruding out of the water. The group, he said, watched it swim for about a minute before it disappeared under the surface, leaving a large wake.

“Before that I was not a believer,” he told 104.7 The Lizard’s, Chris Roach.

That was the first time Steciuk spotted the legendary - and what some might call mythical - lake monster, Ogopogo. He’s seen it twice since.

The most recent sighting came in 2015, and only hardened his belief.

From his home balcony, he saw what appeared to be a snake-like head emerge from the lake, about 150 metres from shore. He managed to capture the encounter with his camera. The image shows a small, round object jutting from a calm lake with what are possible facial-like features, including a mouth and eye.

Steciuk – who colloquially is known as “The Legend Hunter” – is a researcher, who, ever since the encounter over 30 years ago, has religiously catalogued sightings and spearheaded exhibitions in the hunt for concreate evidence of Ogopogo. He’s logged his findings on ogopogoquest.com.

As tourist are set to descend on Kelowna for a post-pandemic summer, Roach caught up with him to inquire how amateur serpent sleuths can catch a glimpse of the elusive creature.

Of course, the key to a sighting is a calm lake, Steciuk said. When the lake is thin on wake and waves, it's easier to spot anomalies on the surface

Most sightings also tend to occur in mid- to late-August, through to the end of September, he said.

“For some reason or another, there are more sightings in that time period than any other time during the year,” he explained.

Reported sightings of the creature have slowed in recent years. And while Steciuk has no definitive reason why, he worries the Ogopogo – if real – is falling victim to the impacts of climate change.

Much like the dwindling kokanee salmon population, he fears less pristine water and rising temperatures could be taking a toll on the aquatic animal.

Nonetheless, Steciuk is steadfast in his resolve and unwavering in his belief.

“With all the sightings over the years, there is no questions there is a species of animal that lives in the lake,” he said. “There is absolutely no question, whatsoever.”