Expedition Update: August 5 - Day 4

What an extraordinary first day at sea! As the ship sailed north on calm waters towards famous Walrus Island, the team spent their day in workshops, out on deck and exploring the ship. As you will see from today's journals... they experienced many magical moments!

Participant Journals:

From: Rosie Bettle

We had an amazing afternoon. We were just queuing up to finish our bottle project when suddenly we heard an announcement saying that Orcas were on the starboard side of the ship. We all completely dropped what we were doing, and rushed up to the deck. On the deck we saw dorsal fins, and the occasional head of the Orcas. It was amazing, but slowly they headed away. Then, however, we noticed the ship turning towards them. We rushed to get our cameras, and we got closer! Then the Orcas came to us! They came literally right alongside the boat, it was astounding! We watched these five gigantic killer whales diving and watching us, when we noticed a small baby whale. Then they dived underneath the ship, and all swam just below the water. The water was so clear, we could see them perfectly. It was just awe-inspiring to see the Orcas and be right in their habitat.

Slowly the whales went away, despite the crew of the ship painstakingly following them. Then a small crew of the photographers went out in one of the Zodiacs (quite large rubber dinghies) in the direction of the Orcas. They got to where they where, just when the Orcas dived to the other side of the ship, far away from the Zodiacs. This happened a couple of times, until the crew of the dinghy finally realised that, yes, the Orcas were far cleverer than them.

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From: Vicky Saunders, Nunia Cain and June Shappa

This morning we woke-up at 6:30am in the middle of Hudson Bay; we are on our way to Walrus Island. The lecture this morning taught us about Seals and Walruses - these are animals Inuit hunt.  All of a sudden, there was a fire drill. We learned how to act in an emergency. Then, our lunch was served at 12:30pm and it was delicious. After lunch we took part in a GPS workshop and we just learnt how the Bottle drop program works wi  th the Global Positioning System.

[FYI – Students on Ice is once again participating in an Institute of Ocean Sciences survey, designed to study large scale ocean circulation. The students are sealing messages inside empty bottles and dropping them overboard in predetermined locations. For more information about this program visit the Institute of Ocean Sciences website.] 

From: Mareika Adams

Wow, another exciting day. This morning brought about a rare occasion to sleep in! The wake up call sounded at a very late 7:30. The most sleep I have had since the beginning of the expedition. After a delicious breakfast, we headed straight for the lecture hall for an interesting talk on seals and walruses. I think the most prominent thing I will take from that lecture is that I can’t wait to see some of them!

Cruising through Hudson Bay, we watched the endless expanse of the bay melt into the brilliant sky. The sun graced us with its presence for the entire day as the clouds failed to make an entrance until late afternoon. The weather conditions were perfect, even warm enough to take off one of my many layers. Perhaps the best thing about these crystal clear conditions was we spotted a pod of orcas! A group of about eight or nine killer whales broke the surface continually all around the ship. At one point they swam so close to the ship, poked their heads out of the water, and we were able to see the white patches and their grinning mouths. We watched them for about an hour and a half before they finally decided to coast off into the distance. We weren’t far on their tail as we continued on our journey into the far north!

From: Brianne Lovstrom

I have seen the orcas: my life dream has been fulfilled.    The Pod consisted of at least six, as I counted six dorsal fins surfacing within moments of each other.  The bull was so massive and majestic!  I’m no expert, but Geoff says it is huge for its kind! The Pod followed us today, and I can honestly say that this cabin fever day (which is only half-over) has turned into the best day of my life. 

Being from Alberta, I always thought a career in marine biology would be a write-off.  I was sure I would never see such a thing in my life as a pod a whales, let alone see a pod of belugas one day and orcas the next.  Orcas have a special place in my heart, and this particular pod has given me the strength and encouragement to continue in my direction of marine biology.

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From: Erika van Oyen: Recipe for a successful polar expedition

Take one awesome organization that loves sharing adventures in the polar regions -

Add a team of experts in almost everything from biology to art -

Mix in other adults who still look at the world with awe -

Sprinkle in a group of teenagers who are curious about the world -

Add a few zodiacs, some orcas and the Polar Ambassador -

Leave for two weeks -

And you get the experience of a lifetime.

From: Bali Symenuk

We landed in Churchill yesterday and everyone was so excited to get out of the plane and stretch their legs!  The plane ride was filled with anticipation for where we were going and what we would be seeing. When I first heard there would be beluga whales I thought we would be lucky to see one. The truth is it would be impossible to miss them. There seemed to be about thirty to fifty whales. The white backs of the adults are like little white waves amongst the grey-green of the water. Their young are barely visible because they are grey so I believe they have adapted well in order to survive.

This morning when I went on the deck, I could not believe the sheer vastness of Hudson Bay. Land is not visible in any direction and the only thing visible is a weird feeling. Today as we had our lectures the collection of people and expertise in the room was apparent. The different cultures and beliefs make you question what you have always held to be true. It is clear that the arctic and its people have stories to tell to those of us lucky enough to have the opportunity and those willing to listen. It was sometimes funny to learn about the different ways of saying things from other countries. For example, last night you could say I slept without legs. It is a Russian expression meaning you have slept well. Now I am realising that I am in the same boat as those international Students on Ice participants. It feels as if the Arctic is its own country, with its own traditions, languages, and people. That I am just one of those privileged enough to be here in this unique and important part of the world, with so much to teach all of us.

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Drin or Vanh Gwiinzii!

My name is Bobbi Rose Koe. I traveled from Fort McPherson N.T to Church Hill and jumped on a boat with 100-150 other people from all over the world which I think is really cool.

This trip I think is once in a life time experience; all thanks to Bobbi Jo Greenland for telling me about this experience, and to the people who brought us together to learn, to experience new things, to see a different environment, meet new people, and to see different animals in their habitats.

From: Jenna Dickson

The cool arctic breeze greeted my face as I walked out on the deck for a morning walk. After breakfast I had been feeling a little dizzy from the moving ship, but the cool breeze swept it all away in an instant. I held my journal in my hand and walked towards a bench that caught my eye – the perfect place for a bit of peace and quiet. I walked to the stern of the ship, and looked down to the Arctic water below – so powerful and commanding. I sat down, listened to the water below, and let my mind wander. All I could think about was how perfect everything this far north seemed to be – so pure and untouched. All bundled and warm, I felt completely at peace. I can’t recall the last time I’ve felt like that. It’s just something that this place does to you when you stop to appreciate it.  I could hardly believe that this was just the beginning.