Floe Edge
ᓯᓈᓅᖅᓯᒪᓂᖅ

You will love 'sinaaq' in the springtime!

As drift ice, it will rise and fall with the tides and travel with the ocean currents and arctic winds unless it is blocked by fast ice, coastal sea ice fastened to the land or shallow sea floor. In the springtime, the floe edge — where the open sea meets the frozen sea — becomes one of the most dramatic and dynamic ecosystems on Earth.

Guided Tours

From April through July in Nunavut, arctic wildlife gathers in abundance along the floe edge — including walruses, seals, polar bears, narwhals, bowhead and beluga whales, plus an astonishing variety of birds. It is a time of great celebration for the Inuit people.

On the way, you can enjoy magnificent mountain scenery, visit bustling bird cliffs and pass drifting icebergs — which are an excellent source of freshwater when at sea. Experienced local guides, who are totally familiar with the tides, local weather patterns and changing ice conditions, are the experts best qualified to determine your safest and most enjoyable route to and from the floe edge.

I

‘Sinaaq’ is the Inuktitut word for the floe edge, which is a very special place to be in the spring. A floe is a flat chunk of floating sea ice up to 10 kilometres (6 miles) wide.

Floe edge tours from many Nunavut communities like Arctic Bay, Clyde River, Igloolik, Pond Inlet and Qikiqtarjuaq will take you on a classic arctic adventure to witness this wildlife spectacle.

Icebergs

Formed from snowflakes fallen 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, compressed into ice with time, mass and gravity, then calved from flowing glaciers into the crashing waves, powerful currents and gusting winds of the Arctic Ocean, titanic icebergs are often carved into some of the most beautiful sculptures ever created by the forces of nature.

Outfitters all over Nunavut offer iceberg tours, multi-day outings or day-trips. Notably, the entire northeastern coastline of Baffin Island, from Qikiqtarjuaq to Pond Inlet, is ranked as one of the world’s greatest iceberg gallerie

Best Floe Edge Months of the Year

Community 24 Hours of Sunshine
Arctic Bay Late May to June
Arviat April to June
Cape Dorset April to June
Chesterfield Inlet May to June
Coral Harbour March to May
Grise Fiord April to May
Hall Beach March to April
Igloolik April to May
Hall Beach May 21 to July 22
Iqaluit April to June
Kimmirut April to May
Pangnirtung April to June
Pond Inlet May to June
Qikiqtarjuaq May to June
Rankin Inlet April to May
Repulse Bay Mid to End of June
Resolute May to June
Sanikiluaq March to April
Whale Cove May to June

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