Each summer, 3,000 to 5,000 of these blubbery white mammals congregate at the mouth of the Churchill River in Manitoba where they nosh on schools of tiny capelin and calve their young. For over 20 years, Mike Macri-the owner and operator of Sea North Tours -has been taking clients out in his boat to see the beluga whales in comfort, but more and more are choosing to snorkel with the graceful creatures. Enjoy these photos from a Sea North tour.
Linnea Ingebrigtson, Zodiac driver heading back from a tour. Notice the iceberg in the background.
Like all other whales beluga have lungs instead of gills so must surface to breathe. The shape of a Beluga head will change when it’s blowing air around its blowhole.
Whales are often injured when they collide into ship propellers. These collisions are not always fatal but they can cause severe wounds. For this reason, Mike Macri uses the Sea North II, which has no propellers.