Polar Bears & Belugas: Notes from the Canadian Arctic

Beluga whales, polar bears, and breathtaking Arctic landscapes take center stage as high school Career Canadian Arctic students hone their photography skills on the waters of Hudson Bay.

Photo by Karim Iliya

Aug.1, 2026

Today was an amazing day of wildlife! After breakfast at the Study Center, we headed out on the Zodiacs! We were excited to get back out on the water to see the belugas again and, hopefully, spot a polar bear. Today, large pods of whales greeted us in the water and gave us the opportunity to photograph them. We also saw a seal, terns, ducks, and just when we had almost given up our search, Max spotted our first polar bear. We gave it the paparazzi treatment while we watched it wade in the water, munch on some kelp, and bask in the sun. After we all got some photos, we reluctantly left the bear and returned to shore.

Photo by Claire McGuire

Photo by Abe W.

Photo by Claire McGuire

After the excitement of the morning, we headed to the beach to eat our lunches and splash around in the freezing cold water! Now we are back at the Study Center, charging our batteries, backing up our memory cards, and hopefully getting some sleep so we can venture back out on the water tomorrow. We hope to learn from the photos we took today and come home with even more incredible ones tomorrow!

Thanks,
The Career Canadian Arctic Team

Photo by Abe W.

Photo by Claire McGuire

Aug. 3, 2026

Today was our last adventure out on the water with the beluga whales! We visited the Prince of Wales Fort and learned how it was captured without a single cannon being fired, despite having 40 of them. While we were there, we spotted bears off in the distance.

Photo by Oliver S.

Photo by Karim Iliya

Once we were done at the fort, we hopped onto the boat and cruised over to a very cute mom and cub resting on the rocks. After that, we spent some more time with the belugas before finding one last bear and heading home.