July 9th, 2009 | By Thomas Lennartz | Filed in Arctic Animals, Diving, Recent Trips, Team Interviews

As I recently have just returned from the floe edge, I am going through the literally thousands of photos..and I already want to go back again    It’s amazing how the Arctic calls one to come back.  I mean look at this photo ..it’s the one I like to call ‘the twin iceberg photo’.  It is one of hundreds of icebergs we see on expeditions, but the meltwater, and the the sheer size of them was impressive and …well.. beautiful.

The Twin Icebergs

For those that have never been to the arctic, most, probably I would say rarely even think about it. Yes, it’s up there on the news – it is melting, the polar bear is endangered, and the news can go on…but few probably have thought about ’seeing’ the arctic in person.

When I meet people for the first time and they find out that I work for Arctic Kingdom and head up to the Arctic to lead expeditions and animal photography trips the reactions range from: “Wow that’s cool!” to…” oh.. really.. Why do you go?Isn’t it …freezing cold? What’s there to see?”    The latter reaction is typically quickly changed once they see the Arctic Kingdom gallery of images - there obviously is much to see and over the next few months,  I’ll be posting some of my favourite pictures  like this one…

Base Camp Fly By

taken on Arctic Kingdom expeditions over the last 10 years  (wow..has it been that long already!)  and the story that surrounded those pictures

TheArctic is one of those places that you either love it, or you haven’t been there.  I am still asked why I go year after year – I mean, once you’ve been there once haven’t you seen it enough?   I reflected on this recently as to why I love the Arctic – the ice, the snow, the animals and the many Inuit friends.  For me, the primary draw that fuels the passion, that drives me to return and also to show those around me what the Arctic is really all about…is most definitely the animals – especially the whales .

I am going to post an article  below I wrote for a dive magazine back in 2002 after my first expedition to the Admiralty Inlet floe edge out of Arctic Bay.  I wrote this after my first time ever having swam with beluga and narwhal… and after re-reading it just now.. memories come flooding back..and the Arctic calls again.  Without further adoo..  here is that article titled “Dancing with Beluga”

Belugas "Dancing" with the photographer

The Beluga whale and I stare deep into each others eye’s – the Beluga upside down, facing the surface of the Arctic Ocean craning her neck to examine me with a seemingly permanent smile, and me, floating face down, with only a few feet of crystal clear icy water separating us. I float in the water, breathing gently through my snorkel, totally mesmerized by the dark pools of brown that make up the Beluga’s eyes – a stark contrast to her milky white body. I am oblivious to everything except the surreal world below me. Any direction I face, I see pods of white Beluga and charcoal speckled narwhal whales swimming toward me from the black depths below – all with necks angled towards me in unison. All I can hear, aside from my breathing, are their canary-like songs enveloping me from all sides – a virtual orchestra of clicks, whistles and flute-like notes. All I can feel is the icy arctic water pressing tightly against my drysuit. My lips are numb from the cold, but I don’t care, this is a beautiful and magical world unlike any I’ve ever experienced before and I never want this to end.

Beluga pod coming to fill the dance card

As I turn away from my Beluga to look at the other 30 face-up Belugas surrounding her, she turns and follows. With a kick of my right fin, I turn left and she follows my lead. I kick right, and she mirrors my move. I think to myself, “I’m dancing with a Beluga!” and from the depths of my soul, I let out an uninhibited laugh through my snorkel…a laugh of pure joy and exhilaration of having connected one to one with one of nature’s most wonderful animals. I had never laughed so freely and spontaneously before until that moment.

From the surface looking down at the belugas...who are also looking up

Tags: arctic diving, arctic expeditions, arctic holiday, arctic photography, arctic trip, beluga, beluga migration, floe edge, narwhal, snorkeling with whales, swim with whales, whales