Davis Strait, Greenland to Baffin Island
Our voyage continued with discussion at breakfast of the bright green aurora seen the previous evening by those who braved the chilly night air. There was much anticipation of further opportunities to witness this striking phenomenon.
National Geographic Explorer spent a full day at sea crossing the Davis Strait. This stretch of water links Baffin Bay to the North Atlantic and the seabed was over 9,000 feet [nearly 3,000 metres] below our keel.
With this depth there was not much chance of me going diving today; however shortly after breakfast we encountered a pair of extreme deep divers – Sperm whales! These impressive mammals hold a number of world records including deepest diving mammal, largest brain and largest toothed predator. These deep, cold and productive waters are ideal for finding squid, the favoured prey of these whales, although they will also feed on fish and sharks!
Soon after this sighting the keen eyes of Naturalist Rich Kirchner spotted a pod of killer whales at great distance and heading away from us. After lunch a large group of Northern Bottlenose whales approached the National Geographic Explorer. Fellow Undersea Specialist Dennis Cornejo and I headed out with Naturalist Steve Gould handling the zodiac, to film the whales using SplashCam. This is a camera system mounted onto a pole which allows us to film underwater from the convenience of a boat. We managed to capture some great footage of the whales as they were as interested in us as we were in them! The animals were very inquisitive and readily approached our Zodiac for a closer look. It was a great opportunity to be able to show our guests a closer view of these spectacular and unusual animals.
The whales were very cooperative and appeared in between scheduled presentations from members of the Expedition team. Our guests were treated by Karen Copeland to a topical session on glaciology and the dynamics of ice, made all the more pertinent by sightings of towering icebergs sailing through the Strait. Ken Knowles delighted everyone with tales of the infamous Vikings and we were reminded of their wide-ranging explorations of these northern waters. National Geographic photographers Ralph Lee Hopkins and Ira Block shared their knowledge in understanding digital cameras and helped everyone in taking better photographs home to show their family and friends. The wildlife sightings meant that a lot of photographs were taken today!
The day ended with the showing of a film concerning exploration of the Northwest Passage and the visible effects of climate change. The poignant images were well received by the audience who had the special privilege of seeing this unique environment in person. As with the previous evening, a spectacular display of the Northern Lights was a fitting and satisfying finale to our day.
All in all our day at sea was full of surprises. Tomorrow we reach the Canadian Arctic and will be in Polar Bear territory, something all guests, staff and crew are looking forward to a great deal.
Our voyage continued with discussion at breakfast of the bright green aurora seen the previous evening by those who braved the chilly night air. There was much anticipation of further opportunities to witness this striking phenomenon.
National Geographic Explorer spent a full day at sea crossing the Davis Strait. This stretch of water links Baffin Bay to the North Atlantic and the seabed was over 9,000 feet [nearly 3,000 metres] below our keel.
With this depth there was not much chance of me going diving today; however shortly after breakfast we encountered a pair of extreme deep divers – Sperm whales! These impressive mammals hold a number of world records including deepest diving mammal, largest brain and largest toothed predator. These deep, cold and productive waters are ideal for finding squid, the favoured prey of these whales, although they will also feed on fish and sharks!
Soon after this sighting the keen eyes of Naturalist Rich Kirchner spotted a pod of killer whales at great distance and heading away from us. After lunch a large group of Northern Bottlenose whales approached the National Geographic Explorer. Fellow Undersea Specialist Dennis Cornejo and I headed out with Naturalist Steve Gould handling the zodiac, to film the whales using SplashCam. This is a camera system mounted onto a pole which allows us to film underwater from the convenience of a boat. We managed to capture some great footage of the whales as they were as interested in us as we were in them! The animals were very inquisitive and readily approached our Zodiac for a closer look. It was a great opportunity to be able to show our guests a closer view of these spectacular and unusual animals.
The whales were very cooperative and appeared in between scheduled presentations from members of the Expedition team. Our guests were treated by Karen Copeland to a topical session on glaciology and the dynamics of ice, made all the more pertinent by sightings of towering icebergs sailing through the Strait. Ken Knowles delighted everyone with tales of the infamous Vikings and we were reminded of their wide-ranging explorations of these northern waters. National Geographic photographers Ralph Lee Hopkins and Ira Block shared their knowledge in understanding digital cameras and helped everyone in taking better photographs home to show their family and friends. The wildlife sightings meant that a lot of photographs were taken today!
The day ended with the showing of a film concerning exploration of the Northwest Passage and the visible effects of climate change. The poignant images were well received by the audience who had the special privilege of seeing this unique environment in person. As with the previous evening, a spectacular display of the Northern Lights was a fitting and satisfying finale to our day.
All in all our day at sea was full of surprises. Tomorrow we reach the Canadian Arctic and will be in Polar Bear territory, something all guests, staff and crew are looking forward to a great deal.
