Baffin Bay Ice Cruising

Mother Nature decided to give us a break this afternoon.

At 2:00p, Christian, our Expedition Leader, came on the P/A system to announce a zodiac cruise amongst the sea ice littering the water around us. Yes! Time to bundle up with our woolens, fleece, and wet gear and head off the ship.

Juani, who hails from South Africa, was our zodiac driver. Mui jokingly suggested that landing on an ice floe would earn her extra points. Dont’cha know? She found us a solid piece of sea ice, revved the engine, and thrusted the bow of the zodiac onto the ice! Seeing us, other zodiacs followed suit, finding their own landing spots.

Once we resumed our cruise, we weaved in and out of the eroded bergs and ice pans, enjoying the amazing color of the ice … and the water. We even came upon a ringed seal amongst the ice. Juani, turned off the engine, so that we could quietly approach the animal without stressing it out. Great encounter.

So happy that we managed to get off Ultramarine, if only for a short zodiac cruise.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, we will be making land … in Canada.Read more