You’ll see them blowing off steam, breaching and slapping their tails on the water. Bowheads are the Arctic’s biggest whales and were so loved by 17th and 18th century whalers for their blubber which fuelled Europe’s lamps, that they were nearly hunted to extinction by the start of the 20th century.

Happily, their numbers have rebounded to about 14,000, but these giants are still threatened. Last August, the federal government finally declared over 336,000 hectares of Isabella Bay on the east coast of Baffin Island, NU as Niginganiq National Wildlife Area. It’s been over 25 years in the making, and is the single most important habitat for bowheads, who get their name from enormous bow-shaped jaws on skulls so hard, they can bash through ice 30- to 60-cm (one- to two-feet) thick to create breathing holes.

It’s remote country where the whales hang out just south of the tiny Inuit community of Clyde River. Pristine high peaks and glaciers are the backdrop. The whales cluster in Isabella Bay throughout summer and early fall, dining on 1,800 kg (two tons) of plankton a day, often with calves in tow.

To get out to where the bus-sized mammals cavort, you need to hop a ‘High Arctic’ cruise ship with Cruise North Expeditions or hire a local Inuit guide. Look for Orcas, narwhal, walrus and Ringed seals as well; further south birders will love a glimpse of one of Canada's biggest colonies of thick-billed murres and the largest colony of Northern Fulmars in Canada, on Broughton Island. Eastern Baffin is also Polar Bear Central. So grab a parka for a mid-summer cool-down and don’t forget the binoculars.

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