Last week, we featured some footage from the Spanish television show Desafio Extremo, which features travel adventures all over the globe. Arctic Kingdom had the pleasure of bringing the Desafio Extremo crew north for their Buceo Ártico episode, and we’re really excited with the moments they were able to capture on film.

Over on the Desafio Extremo website, they’re hosting a poll, where viewers can vote for their favorite trip from the current season. Personally, we’re partial to one episode in particular. But really, can you blame us?

In the video below (Jesús y María al final logran encontrarse con los narvales) Jesús and Maria encounter a narwhal at last. There’s gorgeous underwater footage leading up to it, but, if you’re too impatient, skip to 2:30 to see the whale!

Vote Arctic! Vote Often!

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This Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle featured a great article by Margo Pfeiff about her trip to Baffin Island for training in polar survival. I couldn’t help but giggle at her description of her first foray into Arctic waters:

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The north pole's nearest neighbor.

“Call it the ultimate northerner” writes the Observer Sunday.

The British paper tells that a tiny sea anemone has been named the world’s most northerly species after being discovered clinging to life directly below the frozen crust of the north pole.

The hardy creature was scooped from the Arctic seabed by Russian explorers during their 2007 submersible voyage, during which they planted Russia’s flag beneath the north pole to highlight its territorial claim to the oil-rich region.

The anemone is the first living thing to be formally identified in the waters directly beneath the pole, which have been hidden by a layer of permanent ice for more than 800,000 years.

“This is the only identified species from that region,” said Nadya Sanamyan, a biologist with the Pacific Institute of Geography in Kamchatka, part of the far-eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

via The Ultimate Northerner.

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How did I let almost an entire week go by without acknowledging America’s #1 holiday?

Sharks might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the arctic. But there are sharks north of 60, and like the other animals that make polar waters their home, they’re pretty darn amazing.

It's Up to Twenty Feet Long, with Green Glowing Eyes. Beat That, Hammerhead!

Back in 2002, Arctic Kingdom was the first expedition company to bring recreational divers face to face with the Greenland Shark. Among the largest sharks in the world, these slow-moving, uncanny-looking creatures are the only sharks to live in arctic waters year-round.

Unlike the sea mammals we encounter on our dives, the sharks are largely indifferent to divers’ presence, meaning divers can swim as close as they dare, allowing for unprecedented photo and viewing opportunities. As Graham Dickson, Arctic Kingdom’s founder and Chief Expedition Officer, wrote of his first encounter with the shark,

The shark barely seemed to notice my presence, not moving away from me defensively or towards me aggressively. As with other animal encounters, as the time continues, my comfort level with the animal’s behavior increased and I ventured closer. The crystal clear water offered hundreds of feet of visibility and the bright arctic sun shone through, wonderfully illuminating the shark.

Boy Meets Shark

Visit our gallery for more images and facts about these amazing creatures. And, as always, visit our Trips Page for more information about how you can witness the Greenland Shark firsthand!

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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

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To those for whom the Arctic is a little too far, or who simply love the idea of literally diving into history, we’ve got a new venture: Great Lake Wreck dives. Convenient to Toronto, these dives are ideal for recreational divers at all levels. Check out our new site for more information!

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In honor of National Geographic’s Beluga-centric Photo of the Day, here’s a few of my favorite Beluga photos.

A Beluga Checks Out an Arctic Kingdom Dive Team

Belugas Frolic Beneath Lancaster Sound

And, as always, you can visit our Trips page for more information on how you can create your own Beluga adventure!

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Following up on Brian’s post on ice diving, I thought I’d talk a little bit about what distinguishes Arctic Kingdom’s ice dive training and expeditions from all the other diving services out there. I’ve mentioned this before (in the context of this video), but it bears repeating: on the ice, the Airboat changes everything.

AK expedition members ice diving in Arctic Bay 2004

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A Polar Bear checks out an expedition boat in Lyon Inlet

Below the Waterline an Iceberg Is Mostly Bear

Boy #1: Polar bears don’t melt in water!

Boy #2: Yeah, they do. They swim in it and they disappear.

Boy #1: Wow, really?

via Overheard in New York | Below the Waterline an Iceberg Is Mostly Bear.

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So, here it is: Friday, and Narwhal Week draws to a close. For those of you just tuning in, I’ve spent the past week looking at narwhals in honor Arctic Kingdom’s upcoming expedition to Lancaster Sound. We’ve explored research being done on narwhals and climate change through Smithsonian Magazine, watched some great footage of the narwhal migration shot in Lancaster Sound by the BBC, looked into recent research on narwhal song, and finally, explored the history and purpose of the narwhal’s distinctive tusk.

The Inspiration Evolution Rebreather

But there’s one final aspect of the narwhal we have yet to explore, and it happens to be one near and dear to us here at Arctic Kingdom: the unique challenges and rewards of diving with the narwhal.

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