I’d been snorkeling in Hudson Bay for only two minutes “when the first three whales” sidled into view, said Robert Earle Howells in National Geographic Traveler. Just as I began to relax, a companion told me he had also just spotted a polar bear in the water. “Uh-oh.” I was on a weekend package trip called “Birds, Bears, and Belugas” based at Seal River Heritage Lodge, “about 40 roadless miles” north of Churchill in Canada’s Manitoba province. Perched on an isolated Hudson Bay promontory, this lodge is reached by floatplane, and guests are required to abide by one rule above all: “No one leaves the compound without an armed guide.” Strolls across tidal flats usually resulted in sightings of bald eagles, tundra swans, and Arctic terns. Opportunities to snorkel with beluga whales were more limited, dictated by time and weather. It was in the estuary of the Seal River that I encountered hundreds of whales—and that bear. Fortunately, I was able to return safely to our boat, and let the bear paddle on undisturbed.
Contact: Churchillwild.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' homeUnder The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer caresFeature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
