Watch Beluga Whales

Natural History

From mid-July through to the first week of August, approximately 2,000 beluga whales find their way to Cunningham Inlet and the river’s estuary. They come to the inlet to breed, raise their young, shed their skin and enjoy the warm river water. From the shoreline, one can stand within a few feet of these magnificent animals. Belugas are very vocal, both in and out of the water. On a calm night you can hear them from the lodge.

Listen to the beluga whale sounds recorded at Arctic Watch! Watch arctic whales. Come for beluga whale watching. 

Alternative content

Wikipedia has a good description of beluga whales
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beluga

For roughly 25 years, scientific studies on beluga whales were carried out at Cunningham Inlet on Somerset Island. The majority of the research was conducted by David St-Aubin and Tom Smith. When David St-Aubin passed away, his wife and children came to Arctic Watch to scatter his ashes in the water of Cunningham Inlet. His life story can be found at pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/arctic55-4-409.pdf

Here is some of the scientific work conducted on the beluga:

Reports from other locally conducted research include:

Richard, P.R., M.P. Heide-Jørgensen, J.R. Orr, R. Dietz and T.G. Smith. 2001. Summer and Autumn movements and habitat use of belugas around Somerset Island and adjacent waters. Arctic 54: 207-222.

Innes, S., M.P. Heide-Jørgensen, J. Laake, K. Laidre, H. Cleator and P. Richard. 2002. Surveys of belugas and narwhals in the Canadian High Arctic in 1996. In: Belugas in the North Atlantic and the Russian Arctic, pp. 169-190. Ed. by: M. P. Heide-Jørgensen and Ø. Wiig. NAMMCO Scientific Publications Vol. 4. Tromsø. 270 pp.

Come to Arctic Watch for whale watching and to watch beluga whales and stay for the adventure.

Bookings and Reservations

  • W1
  • W2
  • W3
  • W4

* Spots Available   * No Spots Available

Featured Video

The Arctic Watch Journey View More Videos »

Getting to Arctic Watch

Close

Check Availability

Exploration Week 2012
Start Date: June 29, 2012
End Date: July 06, 2012
0
Spots Available
Reserve Now
Discovery Program 1
Start Date: July 06, 2012
End Date: July 13, 2012
0
Spots Available
Reserve Now
Northwest Passage Marathon
Start Date: July 09, 2012
End Date: July 13, 2012
2
Spots Available
Reserve Now
Discovery Program 2
Start Date: July 13, 2012
End Date: July 20, 2012
6
Spots Available
Reserve Now
Discovery Program 3 “Mystic Week”
Start Date: July 20, 2012
End Date: July 27, 2012
2
Spots Available
Reserve Now
Discovery Program 4
Start Date: July 27, 2012
End Date: August 03, 2012
4
Spots Available
Reserve Now
Youth Leadership Program
Start Date: August 20, 2012
End Date: August 27, 2012
6
Spots Available
Reserve Now

Gallery

See out photography galleries for examples of photos that our guests have taken over the years.


Go To The Gallery »
Close
  • Josee with an African Penguin
  • Juno, Richard and Josee
  • Making Bread
  • Delivering food
  • Bread in the Kitchen
  • Hawk Chicks

Visit our Youtube channel to see and experience Arctic Watch through the eyes of a guest.


Go To AWTV »
Close
The Arctic Watch JourneyClothing for Arctic WatchLife is Beautiful At Arctic Watch
Close

We are passionate about the polar regions of the world; the arctic, the North Pole and the South Pole. We plan unique treks to the Canadian High Arcticin places such as Ellesmere Island, Alex Heiberg Island and Baffin Island. We have trekked more often and more successfully to the North Pole than anyone in history. Find out more about at Weberarctic.

Expeditions

If you are planning an arctic trip, you should meet the WeberArctic team. They offer tips on polar travel philosophy, history and geography, climate implications for modern explorers, logistics and navigation, daily routines, travel techniques, clothing, equipment and more.

Gear

Developed and tested on hundreds of successful arctic expeditions, Richard Weber products have been developed for superior comfort and performance in extreme weather conditions.

Find out more about Weber Arctic gear.

The Experience of a Lifetime
Let’s be friends