The littorals of Baffin Island have a stunning scenery of scoured cliffs and glaciers. National Geographic Explorer sailed between the impressive mountains of Icy Arm. With our binoculars, we carefully searched for the different Arctic inhabitants of this wild part of the world.
Our first sighting was a mother polar bear with two cubs. The steep side of the fjord seemed to be no impediment for the strong bears to move about almost effortlessly. Not too far from these bears, we found another yellowish spot, which gradually morphed into another mother with two more cubs! We had six polar bears within the same area all at once. Females with cubs tend to be threatened by adult males; therefore, it was not too unusual to see them up on land and at higher altitude. Safety is a priority over the potential for being preyed upon. On land and away from the ice, it is unlikely that they will find enough food to survive for very long; but for the same reason, they are also much safer from the potentially dangerous adult males.
The day continued, and our plan was to go ashore near one of the fjords of Baffin Island. As we scanned the surroundings of the landing, we realized that there was another polar bear mother with two cubs. The intensity of the wind kept climbing as well, and we decided that the landing was not our best option. In total we had three mothers with their cubs, which added up to nine polar bears.
We kept on sailing in search of stunning landscapes and potential wildlife. We entered another majestic fjord adorned with multiple glaciers. North Fjord is just south of Pond Inlet, and here is where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Surrounded by wilderness, remoteness and beauty, we enjoyed one more day exploring the Canadian Arctic in pursuit of the Northwest Passage.
