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Scuba Diving & Photography Expedition.
High Arctic, Canada

“...When the polar bear opened one eye and then the other, I heard the metallic sound of a bullet being chambered into the barrel of a gun just behind me. The next think I remember is that my camera went on rapid fire as I squeezed off a dozen or so images in a second or two..."

There were three Inuit guides behind us in full alert aiming at the resting polar bear. Oakley and I were lying on the ice in the late afternoon’s glowing warm light while the Polar Bear, this magnificent animal, was just 20 feet away from us hiding among ice pillars in the heart of the ice desert.

Then it was very quiet. I could only hear the wind shifting over the ice sheet, the deep breath of the sleeping bear in front of us, and Oakley moving around as her heavy cloth scratched against the ice.

Only once a year will Big Animals Photography Expeditions get together an intimate group of two photographer/ adventurers at springtime (end of May and early June) and lead them to northern Baffin Island. We travel there during this critical time of major change in the ice condition which allows us to view the return of the amazing wildlife to the High Arctic - up close and personal.

Those kinds of personally close photography encounters are possible through the knowledge, experience and value that Big Animals Photography Expeditions provides on its expeditions. Who else would offer these services for a two-week journey in the High Arctic for only two photographers?

When you join us, you become one of a handful of modern time adventurers – photographers in the caliber of the Discovery and National Geographic teams.

The end of winter leaves Admiralty Inlet and Lancaster Sound covered with ice. However, as spring arrives and the sun remains high throughout the day, changes happen very fast on the thin ice. As soon as the southerly wind approaches the ice sheet covering the vast water of Lancaster Sound, the Admiralty Inlet starts shifting north while breaking up. This is a signal for the wonderful Arctic wildlife to appear and they do so in full force.

Narwhales and Beluga whales arrive here from Greenland and Canada’s eastern shores. Belugas are on the way to their calving grounds around Somerset Island, which is on the western border of Lancaster Sound. Narwhales on the other hand are arriving here and waiting for the ice to break over at the Admiralty Inlet to reach their food source deeper into the Inlet.

Meanwhile, seals are digging holes everywhere on the ice sheet to reach their food source just underwater to feed their young. Polar Bears, some with cubs, are just leaving their dens hungry after the resting season and they are looking for food - seals in particular.

Venturing into this foreign and forbidden land we hire local Inuit guides and hunters and our expedition is led by these trusting, knowledgeable and experienced people of the Arctic Bay community.

Selected local guides are born here, survive many winters and have hunted here all their lives. They know the ice movement, the wind and the wildlife behavior very well. They are reliable scouts, snowmobile driver, mechanics and campers. In the days we spend over the shifting and drifting ice, we explore hundreds of miles, traversing over varied terrain on snowmobiles. We travel with three guides and each guide tows his qamutik behind his snowmobile. A qamutik ("ka-moo-tik") is a long wooden sled and on which we carry all that we need for our survival on the floe edge, ice and sea. On the qamutiks we carry a boat, fuel, tents, food, diving AND scuba gear. Speaking of SCUBA, as we do in a few select expeditions elsewhere in the world, Big Animals Photography Expeditions introduces the practice of using pony tanks making it possible to encounter dolphins and whales.

As long as we kept ourselves close to the ice shelf, the Belugas couldn’t identify us. We saw them easily from 300 feet away! The visibility at this time of the year is 300 feet or better (only in the early spring) and the Belugas are easy to spot due to the pleasing contrast between the color of the deep blue water and the white coloring of the whales.

When the pod got closer, we could hear their increasingly high-pitched vocalization -perhaps due to our presence in the water with them. Fifteen of them pass by us, females with calves came closer and inspected us from less than 20 feet away and the few larger whales, perhaps males, remained a distance away. They move so elegantly and effortlessly in the water, which is short of amazing at best.

Bears, and particularly the Polar Bears, are gorgeous to watch while they are covered by this very deceiving white fur. It is not an indication of the Polar Bear being cuddly and safe. It is merely Mother Nature’s gift to them, camouflage to hide them well in the snow & ice environment as well as keep them warm. However, the puzzling questions, from whom or what do the Polar Bears need to hide from? After all, they are the Apex predators!

The only breaks in the Polar Bear’s camouflage are three black dots - the nose and its two eyes. It seems like the bear knows it and often when they rest or in the face of urgency, one can see how the bear attempts to cover its eyes and nose and almost disappear into the white background.

The bear was resting in the wide open of the vast ice desert among few pillars, with one paw over his eyes and nose blending so perfectly that we, the urban dwellers, couldn’t see it till we came within 50 feet!

We use the ice terrain and move against the light wind, taking advantage of the environment to allow us to get ever so close. Possibly too close. So close that our guides, although reluctantly, put a bullet into their gun to protect us and also to warn us, the photographers, to step back as we did, with extraordinary vivid memories.

With such wonderful memories and warm light in a cold environment, we return every season. I can’t wait for the next spring to unfold in the High Arctic again. We will be there. Join us for the experience of a lifetime living on the floe edge and pushing the envelope to see Polar Bears in their real environment.

TRIP ITINERARY & INFORMATION

Tour price includes:

• Two (or three, depending on expedition choice) weeks of snowmobiling, qamutiks and three Inuit guides/hunters.
• Camping equipment. tents, fuel, all food - to sustain.
• Life for two weeks on the ice!
• All meals throughout the ice safari - local cooking is very basic.
• All diving services, tanks and weights.
• Photography Presentation and Instruction.
• Leadership by experienced expedition staff.
• Administrative services, service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
• Comprehensive pre-departure material.

Not included in Tour Price:

• All airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights
• Overnights required in Ottawa. Transfers to and from airport
• Two nights at the High Arctic Hotel and meals.
• Meals which are not specified above
• Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended)
• Excess baggage charges on all flights.
• All items of a personal nature
• Gratuities to the local guides
• Additional costs incurred due to independent travel arrangements

Payment Policy & Deposit:
When we receive your deposit, we will send you a comprehensive and detailed Trip Preparation Bulletin about the experience and the destination. All flights and trip costs are subject to change without prior notice until confirmed reservation.

• A non-refundable deposit of $3,600 (for the 2005 trips), or $5,500 (for the 2006 trips) is required to secure a space on the trip.
• Full payment is due no later than 90 days before departure.
• We reserve the right to sell any space that is not paid in full by 60 days before departure.
• Refund is made if replacement was found less unrecoverable costs of sales, administration special promotion.
• Cancellation must be made in writing, 90 days before departure.
• No refund is made for unused part of the itinerary.

What to Pack for Camping on the Ice:

• Waterproof Back-pack for excursions.
• Warm (thermal) underwear and warm socks.
• Warm trousers, such as ski pants.
• Warm jacket, with good wind insulation, made of materials such as Gore-Tex.
• Waterproof clothes (for our zodiac cruises)
• Warm sweaters.
• Mittens, gloves, and a warm cap.
• Very important:Warm, waterproof rubber boots. No hiking shoes, because they will always leak on wet ground when going ashore from the zodiacs and when crossing a stream. We do not supply any extra rubber boots. You must bring your own!
• Sun lotion and sunglasses.

Scuba Diving Equipment:
Detailed information about the gear you will need to bring will be in the Expedition Preparation Bulletin.  You must be experienced with drysuit diving prior to the trip.

Travel Documents:
US citizens are required to have a valid passport and round-trip air ticket.

Information current as of January, 2008. Dates and prices may be subject to change without prior notice.

For Booking and/or further questions, contact Amos:
Phone: (415) 923-9865
Toll free: 877-229-4253
Email: amos@biganimals.com

EXPEDITION PROFILE

Worldwide Polar Bear Experience:
8 years

Where:
Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island,
Canadian High Arctic

TRIPS IN 2008:
NONE SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME.

Facility:
Land based. Camping on the floe ice.

Transportation:
Snowmobiles

Activities:
Floe edge exploration & diving/snorkeling

Temperature:
In Water: 28°F
Air Temps: 10-40° F
Wind Chill Factor:
0°F and colder.

Underwater Visibility:
300 feet and can change to 20 feet in 2 week period

VITAL STATISTICS
Latin Name:
Ursus maritimus

Length & Weight :
Male: 1,600 pounds up to 9 feet 9 inches 
Female: 600 pounds up to 8 feet

Life – Span:
Up to 30 years.
Usually 15 – 18

Group Size:
Solitary. The exceptions are breeding pairs & females with cubs.

Number of Young:
1 to 4 (usually 2)

World Population:
40,000

Distribution:
From the North Pole, through the Arctic Ocean islands. North America. Russia & Siberia. Spitsbergen & Greenland.

Diet:
Mainly Seals. Especially the ringed seal. Whales & Walruses

Mobility:
Polar Bears are in a constant quest for food and will travel great distances. They are very strong swimmers, and have been know to swim 100 miles in the open ocean to reach land. They can dive to 50 feet.

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Day 1:
Depart home town for Ottawa, Canada. Overnight

Day 2:
Join the flight to Arctic Bay, Northern Baffin Island. Arrive early afternoon. Transfer to Arctic Bay hotel for overnight. Load the qamutiks. Get acclimated to the cold.

Day 3 –14
(Day 3 - 21 for 3 week adventure):
We go out today in a convoy onboard the snowmobiles and cross the frozen surface of Admiralty Inlet toward Lancaster Sound in search of open water. For the next 14 days we will explore the wide vastness of the Arctic ice and search for Polar Bears preying on seals.

We will also search the floe edge and wait for the arriving Belugas and Narwhales.

In order to improve our encounters, we move our camp every few days according to hunters’ reports about animal sightings. Camp is also moved as a precaution from the constant shift in the ice condition, which is affected by the ever-changing winds.

In the comfort of our tents, we rest & sleep during the day when the sun is high in the sky, which is the same time that the wild animals are resting. We move on for search, discovery and encounters in the early afternoon when the sun throws her warm colored rays across the ice and illuminates the polar animals in complimenting colors.

Day 15
(Day 22 for 3 week adventure):
Fold our camp and gear for the last time this season and travel over the slushy and dangerous shifting ice on our way back to Arctic Bay. Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 16
(Day 23 for 3 week adventure):
Join the flight to Ottawa and over night there again.

Day 17:
(Day 24 for 3 week adventure):
Early morning return back to the airport for the last flight home.