Polar Bear
We are certain to sea polar bear on this trip, if for no other reason than Scott says “I’m not leaving the arctic until I see a polar bear.” Reports from the Ugly Betty (FPB-783) from their trip through the Northwest Passage report that seeing the furry white beasts was not (at all) a rare occurrence.
Polar Bear Safety
These recommendations, from the International Polar Guides Association, have been embedded into Sarah-Sarah’s Safety Management System.
Walrus
Atlantic and Pacific Walrus should be seen, though numbers are declining.
Beluga
Beluga whales are found in arctic and subarctic waters throughout the Northern Hemisphere, primarily in the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas. They are also present in areas like the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Hudson Bay, and the Bering Sea.
Ringed Seal
The ringed seal (Pusa hispida) is a small earless seal species found in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Its common name is derived from a distinctive patterning of dark spots surrounded by light gray rings.
The ringed seal is the most abundant and wide-ranging ice seal in the Northern Hemisphere; they can be found throughout the Arctic Ocean, into the Bering Sea and Okhotsk Sea as far south as the northern coast of Japan in the Pacific, and throughout the North Atlantic coasts of Greenland and Scandinavia as far south as Newfoundland. Two freshwater subspecies live in northern Europe. They are the smallest members of the seal family found in these regions, averaging 1.5 metres (5 ft) in length.