Baby Beluga whales are the summer stars of Churchill, Manitoba
Story and photos by Lorry Heverly
Way up north, where the Canadian Arctic begins, is Churchill, “The Polar Bear Capital of the World.”
In the fall, polar bears come from inland, gathering along the shoreline to wait for ice to form on Hudson Bay, spending the winter on ice floes, hunting and feeding on fish and Arctic seals.
We shimmy into extreme Arctic wetsuits, looking and feeling like aliens in our chunky head-to-toe neoprene attire. Pulling on bulky hoods, cumbersome gloves, masks and snorkels, we find our bodies are well-protected except for exposed patches on our faces. As we pile into a zodiac, the late summer water temperature is 45 degrees, and I’m dreading the plunge into frigid waters.
With polar bears safely inland, we are embarking on a big animal encounter of another kind. Our mission is to snorkel with pods of curious Beluga whales. In July and August, more than 6,000 Belugas migrate from Hudson Bay into the Churchill River. They come to feed on the plentiful smelt-like capelin and to have their babies. Moving from salt to fresh water, the whales molt their coffee-stained skin, transforming into pearly white creatures.
Beluga encounters
We spot a lime-green glow near the surface of the choppy waters. It’s a footprint indicating that Belugas are ahead. Moving closer, the pod surrounds the boat. Carefully, we slide over the side and float face-down in the water, hanging onto ropes as the boat slowly trawls. Trickles of icy water leak into my wetsuit, but I’m so excited about this up-close encounter, I forget about the cold.
They come in clusters, packs of four or six, turning their heads (Belugas are the only whale with a moveable neck) to check us out.
Several mother whales linger, showing off their newborn grey babies. They surround us, their mouths turned up in a friendly smile, sometimes turning belly up and waving a dorsal fin. Cruising a few feet below us, I could almost reach down and touch them.
They’re not called “sea carnies” for nothing. These creatures can sing. Haunting songs with captivating melodies of chirps, clicks and long moans carry through the water as they talk in a language only they can understand.
Etched in my mind forever, this hour-long, rare opportunity to interact with these curious and friendly creatures, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Arctic landscapes
Rich natural landscapes and wildlife abound in the tundra outside the small community of Churchill. Exploring the boreal forests, tidal flats, taiga and tundra, our guide was always armed with a loaded rifle, just in case we wandered upon a rogue polar bear or a mom with cubs.
“Bears are unpredictable and you can’t be too careful,” said Paul Ratson, our wilderness guide who guarded us on our nature walks. “They could be protective of their cubs, cranky because they are hungry or just be plain ornery.”
Bears that wander too close to town are placed in a Polar Bear Jail for holding before being relocated. Each time they are caught, they are marked with a stripe of paint, and here there are often repeat offenders.
The short summer months transform Churchill’s wilderness into colorful waves of tundra wildflowers. By Tundra Buggy, a bus mounted on oversized all-terrain tires, we make tracks into an unexplored no-man’s-land. Unique landscapes of vast wilderness and shorelines showcases more than 200 species of migrating birds along with Arctic hare, foxes and caribou.
Outpost Churchill
Churchill is a small outpost with a quirky character all its own. ATV’s and pick-up trucks meander down the dusty main road. The Eskimo Museum features an amazing collection of Inuit carvings and artifacts.
Found in shops like the Arctic Trading Post are crafts made by local Inuits including carvings in ivory and wood and traditional fur-lined slippers and suede mittens, adorned with beads. Stop by the Canadian Post where you can have letters stamped with a polar bear insignia.
Along the shoreline are several giant stone figures called Inukshuks. Resembling humans, the figures were used by the ancient native people as navigational landmarks. Inuits were the first people in “The Land of the North Winds” and many of their descendants still live in Churchill.
More info: Visit Travel Manitoba Canada at www.travelmanitoba.com and Destination Churchill at www.destinationchurchill.com.
Cover photo by Mike Macri, Sea North Tours, www.seanorthtours.com.