The white whales of Canada

Polar Bears are not the only large big-ticket mammals to visit Hudson Bay during the northern summer. Every year from June and September, the waters here come alive with belugas — the world’s only white whale species. But unlike polar bears, which can only be observed from a distance, belugas and humans can safely interact.

The best place to see belugas is at the mouth of the Churchill River, where the whales amass in their hundreds to gorge on fish and give birth to calves. It’s also where Sea North Tours runs the world’s most unique kayaking adventures, where visitors can come face-to-face with Belugas, the most playful and vocal of all whale species. “It’s beyond interactive,” says Tress Kemick, a Churchill native who spends his summers working as a guide with Sea North Tours. “In other parts of the world, people on whale watching tours freak out when they see one breaching the surface 500m away. Here in Churchill, I have to worry about whales trying to flip over my clients in their kayaks. It’s a little bit different, right?”