Northwest Passage
- On September 10, 2016
- By Randall Tate
- In Arctic, Commercial, Traveling, Wilderness, Wildlife
0
The Northwest Passage is a sea route connecting the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Arctic Canada. Using it instead of the Panama Canal shortens the traverse from Asia to Europe by approximately 1200 miles (1900 km). With the continued effects of climate change, the once ice clogged and almost impossible route is now open for business during a very short window in late northern summer. A journey through the passage has now gone commercial as expedition cruising companies look for ways to expand their offerings.
The trips usually take about two weeks and stop at various Inuit communities and historical sites along the way. Cut off from the outside world for most of the year, the communities seem to relish the opportunity to meet visitors and share their culture. Uluhaktok is one of those communities. Meaning ulu-shaped-bay in the native language, the town is named after the traditional curved knives that the Inuit have used for thousands of years.
Spending time there left an impression. After five days, we knew most of locals by name and had been invited into many of their homes. It was one of the most welcoming communities I have ever visited. A peek into the world of Arctic Canada left a deep impression on us. Although it appears like they live a lonely, harsh existence, the people love their homeland and have carved out a balanced, happy life that we all could take a few lessons from.
Planes carry both passengers and cargo into the dirt runway in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.
Boys playing on a cold August day in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada
Local transportation, Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada
An ulu found on the beach in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada
Adam, maker of the finest ulus in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada
The Maud, Roald Amundsen’s ship during his second expedition to the Arctic, being lifted from the bottom in preparation for its return to Norway.
A local resident in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.
Lifting off from the RRS Ernest Shackleton, British Antarctic Survey vessel.
Bannock, Inuit Fry Bread
Musk ox skull
One of the residents of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada. The collar of her jacket is made of wolverine
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.
Drummers in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada
The Ernest Shackleton fully loaded with 13 Zodiacs, two helicopters, a fast boat and a supply tender.
Narwhal, the possible inspiration for the unicorn
RRS Ernest Shackleton, British Antarctic Survey vessel
Crystal Serenity in Bellot Strait
Galápagos
- On April 20, 2016
- By Randall Tate
- In Traveling, Wildlife
- 0
Frigate Bird
Land Iguana
Giant Tortoise
Galapagos Fur Seal
Brown Pelican
Sally Lightfoot Crab
Blue-footed Booby
Pencil-spined Urchin
Blue-footed Booby
Galapagos hawk
Nazca Booby
Land Iguana
Nazca Booby
Galapagos Fur Seal
Marine Iguana
Nazca Booby
Greater Flamingo
Pirate Post Office – The tradition goes that you can drop a postcard in this barrel and someone else will hand carry it to the destination. No postage needed.
Polar Bears – Apex Predators of the North
- On August 15, 2014
- By Randall Tate
- In Arctic, Wildlife
- 0
Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) are hard animals to find and even harder to count. The latest estimate puts the Barents Sea population of Polar Bears at approximately 3000 animals. This is a mere guess as it is almost impossible to get an accurate count on something that ranges hundreds of miles in an area the size of Mongolia. Satellite tracking collars have helped give some insight into their territory. One intrepid satellite-tracked female roamed close to 3,000 miles (4,800 Km)—from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay to Greenland to Canada’s Ellesmere Island and back to Greenland. This could be considered a success story. With the continuing effects of climate change diminishing the extent and depth of the sea ice, many bears are left stranded on islands where they must rely on other hunting and foraging techniques to fend off starvation and await the return of the ice.
In Svalbard, the name of the game when it comes to spotting Polar Bears is head to the pack ice. Polar Bears are spotted on land as well, but higher concentrations of their staple food, seals, live along the ice edge. This leads more bears to stay with the pack ice throughout the lean summer months. Spotting Polar Bears is one thing. Seeing them up close is another. But with patience and a bit of luck, bears can be found. Below are images of these incredible creatures in action on both land and sea.
Svalbard – The Cold Coast of Norway’s High Arctic
- On July 15, 2014
- By Randall Tate
- In Arctic, Sea Kayaking, Wildlife
- 1
Beth Moore spots Belugas
Svalbard, a territory of Norway, is a large archipelago 600 miles north of the Norwegian mainland in the Arctic Ocean. The islands are home to Walruses, Seals, Whales, Arctic Fox, Reindeer, over thirty types of birds and of course, Polar Bears. Besides abundant wildlife, pristine glaciers and stunning vistas, the islands are also home to some very interesting establishments. At one point, Russia owned and operated three large coal mining operations in the islands. Today, only one, Barentsburg, remains. The territory is governed under the Svalbard Treaty of 1920. According to this, any of the forty signatory countries are allowed to conduct commercial activities on the archipelago as long as they have no military implications. This is where things get grey. The United States funded the construction of Svalsat, a satellite ground station on Spitsbergen that communicates with polar orbiting satellites as they pass overhead. The information received from the satellites is transmitted to the Norwegian mainland via an undersea fibre optic cable. Many countries use the station to download weather and other scientific data, but recently there has been concern that the station is also being used to direct missile and drone strikes from the United States. The debate continues with no one willing to tell the truth, but in the mean time, here are some images of the more natural and not so natural parts of this fantastic part of the polar world.
G Expedition in ice
Blubber Slugs and Beach Masters
- On March 26, 2014
- By Randall Tate
- In Antarctica, Stock, Wilderness, Wildlife
- 4
Antarctic Fur Seal Skull – Salisbury Plain, South Georgia
Antarctic Fur Seal – South Georgia
“Below the 40th latitude there is no law; below the 50th no god; below the 60th no common sense and below the 70th no intelligence whatsoever.” — Kim Stanley Robinson —
King Penguin – South Georgia
Southern Giant Petrel – Salisbury Plain, South Georgia
Weddell Seal – Elephant Island
Crabeater Seal – Antarctic Peninsula
Adelie Penguin Chick – King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
Antarctic Peninsula
Humpback Whale – Antarctic Peninsula
Guests of the MS Expedition surrounded by King Penguins and Antarctic Fur Seals – Salisbury Plain, South Georgia
Bust of Captain Luis Pardo near the site on Elephant Island where Shackleton’s men spent 5 months awaiting rescue. Pardo was the Captain of the Yelcho, a Chilean steam tug, that rescued the men.
Elizabeth June Moore – Ninja Kayak Guide – Antarctic Peninsula
Clark Smithson, the Master of Zodiacs and quite possibly the nicest guy in all of the Southern Ocean – Grytviken, South Georgia
Elephant Seals, Antarctic Fur Seals and King Penguins
King Penguins, South Georgia
Antarctic Peninsula
Elizabeth June Moore staying safe in the Antarctic Peninsula
Tides and Currents
- On September 15, 2013
- By Randall Tate
- In Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
- 0
The tides and currents in Southeast Alaska are a force to be reckoned with. Any mariner that plies the waters there must learn to watch the ever-changing conditions closely in order to navigate safely. Those same forces also create an environment that nourishes life in this breadbasket of the marine world. Here are some highlights from a summer spent in that magical place where the mountains rise from the sea.
South Marble Island, Glacier Bay National Park
Orcas
Bubble Netting Humpback Whales
South Sawyer Glacier
Orcas
Mountain Goat
Orcas
Pacific White Sided Dolphin getting some air time
The Southern Bear
- On February 01, 2013
- By Randall Tate
- In Antarctica, Stock, Wildlife
- 0
Leopard Seal
Antarctica has resisted man’s influence since he first set foot there almost two hundred years ago. Humans do not pretend that they can control Mother Nature here. Like the highest mountain peaks in the world, Mother Nature grants you access and you must be respectful of her power. Every expedition to Antarctica is still just that, an expedition. Sure cruise ships serve Norwegian halibut and the finest wines in their dining rooms while cruising her waters, but this is still a place to be reckoned with. At any moment, Antarctica can tell you that you do not belong and slam the door in your face. That incredible power has the flip-side of offering spectacular insight. This is a magical place and it’s splendors are like gifts that must be cherished while they last.
Black-browed Albatross
Elephant Seal
Elephant Seal
Antarctic Fur Seal Amongst the Ruins of Grytviken Whaling Station
Antarctic Fur Seal Pup
Antarctic Fur Seal
The Drake
Leopard Seal and Its Prey
A Final Resting Place – The Iceberg Graveyard
Antarctica
- On March 01, 2012
- By Randall Tate
- In Antarctica, Commercial, Editorial, Traveling, Wildlife
- 0
An Adelie penguin rookery on Gourdin Island on the Antarctic Continent.
Antarctica got its name from being on the opposite end of the world from the constellation Arktos (Bear, Ursa Major, North Star). It was first seen by Europeans in the 1820s and the land has remained one of the least touched places on earth. The voyage there feels like sailing to another planet. The scope and scale of Antarctica overwhelms the senses. After spending a month on the Antarctic Peninsula, I felt like I had only scratched the surface. The interior pulled at me like a magnet. Compared to the interior, the peninsula is mostly free of the massive ice shelves and continental glaciers that conceal the rest of Antarctica. The exposed coastline allows it to be full of life. The first explorers must have thought they were dreaming when they first set foot in a rookery containing over 400,000 penguins.
An Adelie penguin rookery at Brown Bluff on the Antarctic Continent.
If You´re Not Bubble Netting, You´re Not Doing It Right
- On December 27, 2011
- By Randall Tate
- In Stock, Wildlife
- 0
¨They´re bubble whating?¨ is the usual response when we tell someone what the whales in front of them are doing. ¨They are bubble netting.¨ It´s a complex feeding behavior that is seen in Alaska amongst humpback whales that come there in the summer to gorge on the bounty of sea soup in the water. Humpbacks feed mostly on tiny creatures such as plankton and krill, but sometimes they get an appetite for something larger, in particular, herring. That´s where the bubble netting comes in. These normally solitary Humpback whales join up and use teamwork to confuse and cordon off these small fish. Each member of the group has a set task and repeats that task over and over again during the feeding sessions. One whale will dive deep and then swim in circles back toward the surface while blowing bubbles. The others then begin swimming up through the rising bubble curtain. During this, some of the whales may flash their pectoral fins or let out a high pitched sort of scream to further disorientate the herring. Just before reaching the surface the whales open their mouths wide and engorge the herring. Needless to say, it´s a sight to see and something that is best witnessed. These photos show what it looks like at the surface as dozens of gulls fight for the scraps next to the humpbacks.
Da Bears
- On December 06, 2011
- By Randall Tate
- In Alaska, Commercial, Traveling, Wilderness, Wildlife
- 1
Bears are on the wishlist of wildlife to see for any visitor to Alaska and there’s no better place to see them than at Anan Creek. In fact, it may be one of the best bear viewing sites on the planet. There are not many places where can you see so many bears and be so close than at Anan. The only way to get there is by boat or float plane. Once there, you go ashore with a well armed guide and walk a quarter mile boardwalk to a multi-story viewing platform perched above the creek. During my visit, I didn’t want to leave. The bears are literally within arms reach and the photography opportunities are amazing. If you’ve seen a photo of a brown bear catching a salmon in mid air, it most likely was taken at Anan. A visit here is truly a life changing experience and I recommend it to anyone who visits SE Alaska. Here are a few photos from my visit this summer.
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