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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Narwhals photographed off the coast of Pond Inlet in 2007

All this week, I’ve been looking at narwhals, one of the arctic’s most mysterious and fascinating creatures and a major part of our upcoming expedition to Lancaster Sound.

But I have yet to look closely at one of the narwhal’s most distinctive features: its horn.

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A Narwhal photographed on a 2002 Arctic Kingdom expedition to Arctic Bay.

In honor of Arctic Kingdom’s upcoming Lancaster Sound expedition, I’ve been spending the week immersed (no pun intended) in one of the area’s most distinctive inhabitants: the narwhal.

Narwhals are mysterious creatures. Small and fast, they haunt the cracks of dense pack ice for much of the year, defying attempts at herding or capture. Able to dive up to 4,500 feet and shy of motorboats and helicopters, they make for a notoriously difficult study.

Recently, scientists have started to capture, tag, and release narwhals in order to study the whales in their natural habitat.

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via BBC NEWS, ‘Arctic unicorns’ in icy display.

This week, I’m highlighting narwhals in honor of Arctic Kingdom’s upcoming expedition to Lancaster Sound. The expedition’s primary goal is to view and swim with narwhal and beluga as they begin their summer migration.

So I was thrilled when I stumbled upon that video up there. This is what the Lancaster Sound trip is all about!

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Narwhals frolic for Ushuaia cameramen on an Arctic Kingdom-led expedition in 2004

This week, in honor of Arctic Kingdom’s upcoming expeditions to Lancaster Sound, I’m going to be looking at one of the sound’s most elusive creatures: the narwhal. Every day, I’ll post photos of narwhals from Arctic Kingdom’s galleries and photo archives, along with whatever narwhal news and information I can get my hands on.

To kick things off, I spent the morning enjoying “In Search of the Mysterious Narwhal” from Smithsonian Magazine’s May issue, which provides a glimpse into the lives of scientists studying and tracking narwhal in Niaqornat, Greenland.

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