Beluga Whale and Polar Bear Expedition 2025 - Trip 1

Churchill, Canada
July 26 - August 1, 2025

 July 27, 2025. Day One

Day one of the trip and it started with a bang! 

Perfect weather, flat calm seas, and lots of belugas. I couldn’t be happier.

Our guests are overwhelmed, in the best way. 

We’re absolutely surrounded by whales. Magic is everywhere. 

No bad seat in the house. Just whales in every direction.

Midway through the morning, we took a break from the water after hearing that a polar bear had been spotted on the rocks near the point.

We pulled the mat back onto the boat and motored over.

Sure enough, there he was, a big, fat, sleepy bear, stretched out on the shoreline.

Likely just back from a successful winter season hunting seals out on the sea ice.

We snapped a few images while he lazily lifted his head every now and then, mostly when the arctic terns stirred him from his nap. 

The terns nest in that area, and bears are known to scavenge for eggs and chicks, so the birds were not happy to see him.

After the encounter, we returned to the belugas and got back in the water, hoping to reconnect with the super friendly whales we saw earlier. 

The energy was still high, and the water was alive with movement.

We wrapped up our water time and headed back to the lodge for a quick clean-up before venturing out onto the tundra for the afternoon.

The rains came briefly and poured hard, but as they passed, the skies cleared and the day ended beautifully. 

It was peaceful out there, quiet, open, and painted in rich summer colors across the tundra.

Fired up for what tomorrow brings.

July 28, 2025. Day Two.

Day two begins, and the wind is howling. Reports said 24-knot winds, and they weren’t kidding. 

We left port into choppy water, technically a river, but it felt like open sea the way it was moving.

We made our way upriver to where most of the boats were gathered, and where it seemed all the belugas were, too.

The belugas were everywhere… it was magical. So much beauty. 

It is hard not to over romanticize it. 

But damn it is a sight to see.

We dropped the mat and slipped into the water. 

Almost immediately, two mother belugas and their calves approached us.

They were already waiting by the boat. Two of our guests, Dawn and Dan, were the first in, and the moms and calves followed them straight to the mat. 

Their excitement was contagious. We could hear them squealing with joy from the boat, completely overwhelmed by how close and playful the belugas were.

And the whales never left.

When it was time to switch out guests, the belugas swam to the boat and waited for the next pair, almost like they were eager for the next round of connection. 

When it was my turn, they stayed. Curious, calm, and incredibly close.

It was nonstop interaction for over an hour and 15 minutes. (Our captain was keeping the time).

The howling winds kept pushing us toward the shoreline, so the water stayed shallow, which only made the encounters more intimate and exciting. 

I have always wanted images of belugas with the rocky bottom in the back ground, and we got them!

 These belugas, these mothers and babies, offered some of the most emotional and unforgettable moments I’ve ever had with this species.

I’m honestly blown away.

What a morning.

Eventually, the whales lost interest and slowly drifted away, as if to say, "That's enough magic for now." 

But it was already one of the most memorable mornings I’ve ever had on the water.

We attempted to move the boat closer to the marina, but the wind had other plans. 

By 11:00am, the swells became too much, and we called it a day.

No one was disappointed. 

The moments we shared with those whales were more than enough.

Not sure how tomorrow could top it…But we’re going to try.

July 29, 2025. Day Three

It’s another windy one today, but thankfully not as rough as yesterday. 

The skies are overcast, the air is cold, and the energy feels a bit slower.

So far, the belugas aren’t particularly interested in us.
Encounters have been quiet, nothing like the magic we’ve experienced on previous days.

But that’s nature.

You can’t fully appreciate the magic if it’s always magic.

By noon, we still hadn’t had much time in the water. 

The visibility is poor, likely from the recent rains, and the whales seem focused on feeding. 

They’re surfacing briefly for air, then diving right back down again. 

No curiosity, no lingering. Just business. They must be on a mission.

We got a report of a bear in the water, but we were on the opposite side of the river. 

With the choppy seas, we knew we’d never get there in time. By the time we arrived, the bear would be long back on land.

So with the belugas uninterested, we made our way to the point for a shot at seeing bears on the coast.

We got lucky, two polar bears resting on the rocks.

One was in a deep sleep. 

The other was trying to nap, but made the mistake of choosing a spot too close to a colony of nesting arctic terns… and they let him know it.

They dive-bombed his head, pecking at his face, his ears, even his nose.

The bear kept trying to ignore them, nodding off between attacks, but their persistence was relentless.

For us, it meant great photo ops, every time he lifted his head in irritation, we were ready.

By the time we reached the bears, the clouds had pushed on and the sun made an appearance, lighting the rocks and the bear’s fur in a soft, warm glow. 

It was one of those unexpected moments where everything aligns, even if just for a minute.

In the high rolling choppy seas, photography was a hell of a challenge.

I shot hundreds of frames, fully expecting to throw away 500 of them. 

My shutter speed was set at 1/2000, and it probably should’ve been higher. But even with the motion and rough conditions, I managed to pull a few solid keepers from the batch.

Eventually, the bear had enough. 

He stood up, shook it off, and walked a short distance to try and find a better nap spot.

It didn’t help.
The terns followed, and the pecking resumed.

After some time observing, we decided to call it a day.

No time in the water with the belugas today, but two beautiful polar bear encounters under a clearing sky?

That’s a win in my book.

July 30, 2025. Day Four

Today gave us a break from the wind, clear skies, flat calm water, and lots of whales.

 The visibility wasn’t great in the river, but there were still some solid photo opportunities.

Compared to the bay, the river was downright murky.

It’s wild how much things can shift here. 

On day one, we had incredible visibility, today, not so much. 

But that’s Churchill: magic or mud, with not a lot in between.

We had several good encounters throughout the day, not as strong or interactive as previous days, but still worthwhile. 

The calm water gave us a chance to head back out into the bay, where the water clarity was noticeably better. 

When we first arrived, the belugas were curious, large pods doing close flybys, giving us a good burst of excitement.

The sun was strong today and there were no clouds in the sky, so it made figuring out the setting a bit of a challenge for us.

But eventually, the energy faded. 

The whales lost interest and slipped away. 

The sun was intense today, super bright, not a cloud in the sky.

It made shooting a challenge, especially in the bay. 

Because the belugas are white, they often get blown out in harsh light. 

We had to really dial back our ISO to avoid hot spots on their skin, and angle became everything, shooting down instead of up whenever possible. 

That said, when we got a close pass, the sunbursts in the water were beautiful. Tricky conditions, but worth it.

With little activity left in the bay, we finished the afternoon in the river.

A few belugas came by for a visit, but not with the same excitement or intensity as earlier in the trip.

Still, a beautiful day on the water. Calm. Peaceful. Worth every minute.

Later, we headed out onto the tundra in search of wildlife. 

We found two polar bears, one massive bear resting on a rocky ridge, the other stretched out by a pond, both sleeping.

Both bears were clearly in that slow summer rhythm, what I call their walking hibernation mode. This time of year, they’ll often sleep 80% of the time, conserving energy until the sea ice returns.

July 31, 2025. Day Five – Final Day in Churchill

The weather today was absolutely perfect, bright skies, warm sun, and flat-calm water both in the river and out in the bay.

And lots of belugas.

We headed straight into the bay this morning and found it full of belugas actively feeding. Some of these whales were massive, and many were incredibly playful with us.

Everyone in the group had solid encounters, up-close, curious whales, clear water, and pure magic.

At one point, we got a report of a bear swimming nearby, but the beluga action was just too good. We made the call to stay. 

No one wanted to leave, the energy in the water was that good.

A pod of juveniles came in and gave us some of the most playful interaction of the week. 

Eventually, a group of large adults moved into the area, and the juveniles cleared out, definitely some social hierarchy playing out right in front of us.

It’s been an incredible day, an amazing way to say goodbye to Churchill and the magic this place always delivers.

After wrapping up with the belugas, we motored out to see if we could locate the swimming bear that other boats had reported earlier. 

The bay was glassy and flat, and before long we spotted a small black shape on the horizon, definitely not a beluga.

We found the bear.

It was just relaxing in the water, completely at ease. 

The belugas were curious, circling by, checking it out. At times, the bear would dive toward them, maybe trying to catch one, or maybe just playing its own game.

We spent a good 40 minutes with the bear. It was peaceful the entire time, a perfect final moment to close out a truly unforgettable week.

Huge thanks to our friends and the incredible local guides who helped make this week so special. Churchill… you did not disappoint.