In the swim

CHURCHILL, Manitoba — A town of around 1,000 people on the western shore of Manitoba’s Hudson Bay is base camp for two of the most amazing animal shows on earth.

People who want to see polar bears know where to go. In fall, thousands of bears pad through Churchill, impatiently waiting for ice to form so they can hunt seals.

Less well known, in summer, it’s beluga whales by the thousands, chowing down on capelin, giving birth, scratching itchy backs on rocks in the shallow rivers that empty into the bay.

More and more people have been coming each summer to join them in the water, donning wet suits made of 7mm rubber thick enough to outfit a National Geographic expedition.

“It’s supposed to be tight,” a guide said helpfully as a half dozen visitors stuffed themselves like sausage meat into bottoms,tops, gloves, hoods and booties. Masks with snorkels completed the ensemble.

And then they were off in rubber Zodiacs, faces to the wind, past shores lined with purple fire weed and white Arctic daisies, past the huge town grain elevator, which holds crops for European export, past the old fort.

The day before, the whales had been all over this group as it kayaked. Glistening, white backs arced out of the water. Breathy little puffs surrounded the kayakers as the whales exhaled through their blowholes.

The belugas bumped the tiny boats and could have upended them, but they didn’t. They just seemed curious. Anyone with a hand in the water got a surprise - something brushed their fingers. The white whales shone in the sun and felt like hard boiled eggs without the shell - soft-ish and slick.

But that day, at Button Bay where the whales usually hang, the group got, instead, a big old polar bear, slowly pacing the shore, twitchy black nose in the air. It was maybe the same guy who showed up at a town dump the night before until driven off by the local bear patrol. Not taking any chances, the snorkel boats quickly headed in a different direction. Polar bears are strong, fast swimmers.

Bears are in Churchill because they’ve always been there. It’s people who are the intruders. In summer, when the average temperature is 54 degrees, the bears are hot and lazy. Visitors can see them by helicopter, lying sprawled like rugs across cool muck and wading in shallow water just offshore. They aren’t eating because nothing is worth much effort. They’re waiting for ice to form in the fall, so they can reach the nice, fat, calorie-rich seals.

As for the belugas, they are true creatures of the Arctic. The 3,000 or so that come to Churchill every summer spend winters at the top end of Hudson Bay, which in whale terms is like sticking around the neighborhood.

Belugas are tiny compared to your run-of-the-mill 50-foot humpback - rarely more than 16 feet long and weighing not more than 3,000 pounds. They have silly, endearing grins and hearing sharp enough to pick up sounds in water 15 miles away. Because they are the most vocal of all whales, they are known as “Sea Canaries.”

Beluga swimming started in Churchill about 15 years ago. Back then, you’d be lucky to see a couple after spending an hour in the water. Today, you are likely as not to be mobbed. And the various tour companies have worked out a good summer itinerary that includes trips across the tundra and visits to sights in the area.

In town, the groups spend time at the Parks Canada visitor center to learn more about Churchill, which lies just 550 miles south of the Arctic Circle and is Canada’s northernmost port town. Hudson Bay, itself, is a wonder - 850 miles long, 650 miles wide and 100 to 300 feet deep in most places. It is a vast thumb of ocean water that is frozen eight or nine months of the year.

Humans are known to have lived or hunted in this region for more than 3,700 years. The pre-Dorset, Dorset and Inuit peoples left tent rings, food caches and kayak stands behind. In the early 17th century, the Danes were the first Europeans to arrive in the area, seeking a passage to the riches of Asia.

In winter, Churchill is truly wretched, with howling, hurricane-force winds and temperatures that can hit 70 below. Visitors to the town’s Prince of Wales Fort are told that by winter’s end during the early years of European settlement, walls of the fort’s living quarters were lined with sheets of ice, turning the rooms into frozen closets. No wonder the fort, which took 40 years for the British-owned Hudson’s Bay Co. to build, was abandoned to the French 11 years later.

Because Churchill is actually 1,000 miles closer to Europe than Montreal, it is also one of Canada’s major seaports. Grain is hauled north from the vast wheat fields near Winnipeg in freight trains so long, they stretch to the horizon. From Churchill, it is shipped up the bay and over to Europe during the bay’s four months of ice-free weather.

As for this group’s sojourn, back near the Port of Churchill they finally found whales. They could see dozens of sleek, white streaks along the water’s surface.

One by one, the people slipped into the water and found that the wet suits worked. They were plenty warm.

The deal is to hold onto ropes strung alongside the boat while the boat putters slowly, creating a wake that draws the curious whales. Maybe the whales think snorkelers are part of the boat. Maybe this is familiar because baby whales swim in a similar way alongside their mothers.

The water was pea soup green, which turned to glowing emerald, cut by shafts of sunlight. And the show was steady. First a single bull. Then a mother and her gray calf (they don’t get white until they are 5 years old). Another whale and then two more, side by side. Belugas are the only whales with articulating necks. They can turn their heads. And they do, staring at the humans sideways and upside down. Folks could clearly see a belly button on one beluga.

Someone squeaked into his snorkel and the water vibrated with creaky clicks that seemed to touch one’s very bones.

And then it came. An answering squeak. Whatever that person said, the whale seemed to like it.

Ways and means

Churchill, Manitoba, is on the western shore of Hudson Bay in Canada, 900 miles north of Winnipeg, and is only accessible by air or train. Whale season runs from ice breakup in late June to the end of August. While it is possible to book individual snorkel and boat trips - Sea North Tours is a well-known local supplier, seanorthtours.com (888) 348-7591- many visitors go to Churchill on a package tour. I went there with Churchill Nature Tours - churchillnaturetours.com, (877) 636-2968 - whose tours start in Winnipeg and include the flight to Churchill.

The Churchill Nature Tours program eases you in gradually, starting with the tour boat, then a Zodiac trip to see the whales from a closer perspective. There is also an afternoon on the tundra and a helicopter flight to see whales or bears. The physical demands are slight - moderate walking and for those who choose kayaking and/or snorkeling,easy paddling and swimming - nothing that most people couldn’t do.

This summer’s Churchill Nature Tours beluga tour is July 21-27 and costs $3,895 per person, with a $700 single supplement. The price includes two nights in Winnipeg (before and after the visit to Churchill) plus accommodations and meals in Churchill, tour and sightseeing costs. There are separate fees for kayaking ($170) and snorkeling ($200).

There are three ways to see belugas.

Tour boat: A 30-passenger custom boat takes people to tour Prince of Wales Fort and visit whales. This is great for getting shots of whales arcing and sometimes looking out of the water. A hydrophonelets you hear the symphony of clicks, chirps, whistles and squeals.

Kayak: More intimate, you are on the whales’ level. These are stable, easy-to-maneuver sea kayaks and you stay in protected water. Sometimes, the whales gently bump your boat and if you are lucky, you will be sprayed as they exhale and might be able to pet them.

Snorkel: This is the most exciting. You are in the water with the whales, sometimes only feet away. You can hear them click and chirp and stare at them, face to face.

INSECT WARNING: Summer is mosquito season in Churchill. In order to protect themselves from mosquitoes and biting flies, outside of town, people wear netting that covers them from head to thigh, and they also apply heavy-duty insect repellent. In town, most people forego the netting, unless they are unusually sensitive to insect bites. According to The Weather Network, “bug experts refer to Churchill,Manitoba, as the worst place in the world for mosquitoes. Here they breed in enormous numbers, estimated at 12.5 million to the acre.” GETTING THERE: Visitors to Churchill either fly from Winnipeg or take the train. The flight is approximately two hours long. Calm Air International - calmair.com, (800)-839-2256 - operates daily flights to and from Winnipeg, through Churchill and into the Kivalliq District of Nunavut. Calm Air also offers three flights a week to and from Thompson, Manitoba.

The Via Rail Canada train, known as the Bayline or the Muskeg Special, leaves Union Station in Winnipeg for Churchill at 9 a.m. on Sunday and Tuesday. The train ride is approximately 48 hours long, arriving around 6 a.m.The train arrives and departs Churchill on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Sleeping accommodations (berths and cabins) are available. Call (888) 842-7245 and check out viarail.ca/en/trains/prairiesand-northern-manitoba/winnipeg-churchill.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call (866) 927-4111 or check outdestinationchurchill.com.

• Yvette Cardozo

Churchill’s Must See and Do List

Miss Piggy and the M/ V Ithaca - Two wrecks which, in past years, were town party spots. Miss Piggy is a Curtiss C-46 freight plane that made an emergency landing with no fatalities among the shore rocks in 1979. The M/V Ithaca, a cargo ship, ran aground in 1961. You can walk up to it on low tide.

Peanut butter tarts at Gypsy’s Restaurant & Bakery. What Gypsy’s does best is dessert, a favorite subject in a town where winter temperatures can freeze water in midair. This is like a Reese’s peanut butter cup but much, much better. The rhubarb pie, also not to be missed, is made from crops grown locally.

Parks Canada Visitor Centre in the VIA Rail station - Learn about the area, peer into a gigantic bear’s mouth, see a bear den and an early native tent. But best of all, buy a map of North America from the northern perspective looking south.

Eskimo Museum - Shelves are lined with ancient Inuit carvings of tusk, antler and stone, plus there are two traditional skin kayaks.

Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site - the massive stone fortress that the Hudson’s Bay Co. took 40 years to build in the 1700s, then abandoned 11 years later to the French without a shot being fired from its 40 cannons. Stories by the guides are worth the trip.

Get your pa ss port stamped with the distinctive circular polar bear stamp at the post office (conveniently next to the local liquor store).

Visit the Northern Store, the local answer to Wal-Mart meets 7-Eleven, to gawk at $5 lettuce and $10 gallons of milk.

Shopping - Inuit carvings are for sale just about everywhere including the Eskimo Museum and the Northern Store. The Arctic Trading Post has the most tourist trinkets along with T-shirts, jackets and moccasins. Northern Images has the high-end art.

• Yvette Cardozo