Arctic Journey: Isabella Bay and Arctic Harbor, Baffin Island

By the morning of August 6th, we had sailed far enough southeast along the northern shore of Baffin Island to re-encounter the phenomena of sunrise and sunset. The day would be, technically, 20 hours long.

Just after breakfast there was a polar bear announcement, and Joan and I dashed to the bridge. A large ice island had been blown close to the shore, and bears were prowling atop that expanse. Eventually six polar bears were spotted. Here are some pictures of our first sighting (click to enlarge).

He approached us, cautiously.

Within a few minutes he reached the limit of his comfort zone,

and turned away to our right, paralleling the edge of the ice.

This did not prevent us from watching his progress. He's the speck just left of center, near the top.

The ship maneuvered to face starboard, where an old bear was resting.

The younger bear continued to the right, and we wondered if he he would go far enough to reach the end of a channel in the ice. This would place him close to the old bear.

The old fella began to take notice, or at least to awaken from his nap. Was trouble brewing?

He decided not to take any action just yet.

He gave us a look, and then laid his head down again.

The other bear continued his march along the channel.

The Explorer pulled up to the edge of the ice near the old bear.

We waited to see what would happen. The older bear continued to rest, and the younger bear continued off to the right. There was no conflict, and eventually we sailed on.

An hour later, as the ship entered Isabella Bay, we encountered bowhead whales, which live only in arctic and sub-arctic waters -- they don't migrate to warmer waters for reproduction. Bowheads were an early whaling target, and the Baffin Island sub-population, once down to a few hundred individuals, is listed as endangered. Recent surveys over the last decade, although they vary wildly, indicate a population rebound to several thousand.  The Canadian government designated this area off Isabella Bay as the Ninginganiq Wildlife Area in 2008, and only subsistence hunting by the Inuit population is allowed.

Bowheads have no dorsal fin, but sport the largest mouth of any animal. They are also known to live at least 200 years.

We started off seeing single whales, and then small groups. Because of the whales' shyness, my best photos were of bolder individuals.

Another look at the lack of a dorsal fin.

Bowheads are not as gymnastic as humpbacks, but do show some fluke when diving deep.

Another guest captured a fabulous shot when a whale crossed the bow of the ship, briefly exposing its head and mouth.

Then it was lunchtime. Soon the Explorer arrived at Arctic Harbor, near the head of Isabella Bay, and the staff prepared for our shore expedition. Here empty sacks await our life jackets.

The various groups reached dry land after a few wet steps.

A low swath of ground connects two high points, and on that spot are the graves of four whalers, the last remnants of a 19th-century British whaling station that existed here.

A few of the photographers, too enamored of obtaining the best shot, had to be reminded not to step on the graves.

Our group headed to the left, first along the beach on the far side of the connecting strand, and then close to the rocks at the foot of the hill on far left. We had a brief sighting of an American Pipit.

Then we began to climb the far side of the hill. Here we see Lindblad naturalist Ian Bullock leading us up, with Stevie Aulaqiaq standing guard in the background.

Ian did a fine job of coaxing us up the hill, stopping a few times to tell us about the landscape, and to let us catch our breath. He also asked if anybody felt it was time to turn around, but all were willing to keep going. Well warmed up, we arrived at the top. A rocky top.

Here's a video sweep from the high point. Our best views were more from the edge of the top, as you will see.


This photo shows the low connecting beach between our hill and the next, where we landed (on the right) and where the graves were.

From our perch we could see that the kayakers were out in force.

Our chosen route back down turned out to be rocky, 

but everyone made it back.

With the sheltered waters and gorgeous weather, this afternoon was the time for the Polar Plunge. Whoever so wished could jump from a zodiac into the arctic waters and emerge quickly onto a platform. In this photo the zodiacs and platform are maneuvering into position.

Some folks jumped in feet first,

and some displayed their diving skills.

Neither Joan nor I jumped into the water.

That evening, after a busy day, we left Isabella Bay and continued southeast, towards the Cumberland Peninsula.