Beluga Whale Trip Report 2026
- WEEK 1 -
Churchill, Canada
July 21 - 27, 2026
July 22, 2026. Day One
Our first day on the Churchill River began under flat calm conditions with dark, rainy skies. It was one of those mornings where you know the photography might be a challenge before you even leave the dock.
The overcast light was heavy, rain fell on and off throughout the day, and while the water itself looked good, the weather had other plans for us.
The great thing though was… beluga whales were everywhere!
Large family groups were all over the river, and we felt confident that we'd find a few curious whales willing to spend some time with us. Right away after dropping the matt, whales approached us.
We did have several excellent encounters, and everyone got some water time and had the chance to see the whales up close.
Unfortunately, the visibility was horrible.
The rain had washed enough sediment into the river that everything looked hazy. Even when the whales were only a few feet away, they appeared soft and blurry through the water. It was one of those frustrating days where the wildlife delivered, but the conditions refused to.
Rather than continue searching for clearer water, we decided to change gears and head out onto the tundra to look for polar bears.
I'm really glad we made that decision.
It was a good day for bear sightings.
By the end of the afternoon we had seen six polar bears in total: a mother with her two cubs, two large males, and another bear off on its own searching the shoreline for Arctic tern eggs.
There was two males in the area that had taken an interest in her.
The mother was keeping a close eye on them. They were approaching her from different directions.
She clearly wasn't comfortable having them anywhere near her cubs and didn't linger long before moving her family away to a safer distance.
After the female left the area, one of the males turned his attention towards the other bear, and started walking towards it.
At first we assumed we might be about to witness a confrontation.
Two mature males slowly approached one another across the tundra, and everyone on the boat expected at least a little sparring.
Instead, they simply greeted each other without a hint of aggression.
They definitely had a brothers vibe to them, especially since a female was nearby.
It was a great reminder that every day out here teaches us something new.
The weather may not have given us the underwater photographs we were hoping for, but Churchill still delivered a nice first day.
Beluga whales in the morning and six polar bears by the afternoon is a great way to spend the day.
Can’t wait for tomorrow…