Beluga Whale Trip Report 2026
- WEEK 3 -

Churchill, Canada
August 4 -10, 2026

August 5, 2026. Day One

It was a cold, overcast morning in Churchill. The kind of day where the wind cuts through every layer and reminds you just how far north you really are.

But once we reached the river, none of that mattered.

The water was flat calm, the visibility was really good, and beluga whales were everywhere.

From the moment we slipped into the water, they were curious, playful, and incredibly interactive.

It reminded me of our unforgettable second day from last week, with whales constantly surrounding us, swimming beneath us, and circling back again and again.

It was one of those sessions where you completely lose track of time.

One beluga spent several minutes rolling and playing on the surface, giving me the chance to finally capture a half-decent spy-hop on video, something I've been hoping to film for a long time.

Then, while I was recording today's Wild Minute, another beluga farther out in the river suddenly spy-hopped... once... twice... three times... four... five times in a row.

It was one of those moments that simply makes you laugh out loud.

Absolutely insane magic!

Eventually, despite how spectacular the diving had been, the cold finally caught up with us. We were all ready to head back to shore and warm up after an unforgettable morning in the water.

Once everyone had thawed out, we loaded into the van and headed onto the tundra in search of wildlife.

Earlier in the week, my friend Peter had told me about a red fox den with kits somewhere along one of the roads. I'd spent several days trying to locate it without any success. Then another friend, Andy, gave me a few more clues about where he had seen it.

Putting both of their directions together finally paid off.

We found it.

A beautiful red fox family living beside their den.

The kits disappeared underground almost the moment our vehicle arrived, but the adults stayed outside, calmly watching us from a distance. It was exciting simply knowing we had finally found the den after searching for so long.

After a while, the adults wandered off to hunt, so we continued exploring the tundra.

Not long afterward, Katy spotted another fox sitting quietly beside the road.

This one was one of the kits. They are getting older and starting to explore the tundra a bit more.

Its dark face and throat mixed with rusty orange made it one of the most beautiful foxes we've seen here.

After two weeks of searching… finally, we found some foxes.

As if that wasn't enough, the tundra had one more surprise waiting for us.

While driving through the tundra, a polar bear sleeping peacefully among the low willow bushes lifted it’s head up from the bushes, as our van rolled past. We had disturbed its nap.

It sleepily looked at us and then went back to sleep.

He was a big boy!

Remaining safely inside the vehicle, we spent about thirty minutes quietly photographing the bear as it continued sleeping. It was a great encounter, and it allowed everyone to capture some beautiful images without disturbing the animal.

When we left, the bear continued on sleeping.

Before ending the afternoon, we decided to make one last stop back at the fox den.

This time, one of the kits was stretched out in the grass, completely relaxed.

Every so often it would open an eye, glance in our direction, stretch its legs, scratch behind an ear, let out a huge yawn, and then drift right back to sleep.

It was one of those simple wildlife moments that reminds you why patience always pays off.

A phenomenal day with playful belugas, a long-awaited fox family, a stunning juvenile cross fox, and a peaceful polar bear.

Not a bad way to begin Week Three.

Now the bar has been set incredibly high...

The pressure is officially on for the rest of the week.