Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Arctic Bay (Aug 08/05) - Growing up in the North gives people a great respect for the power, richness, and danger of the land.

Most would not dream of venturing into the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean, but Josia Akpaliapik built up his courage and took the plunge earlier this year.

"I always wanted to do it," he said of his 20 minute swim off the floe edge near Arctic Bay last month.

For years, Josia has seen a photographer friend don his dry suit and jump in to take pictures of narwhals and other marine life.

Akpaliapik kept seeing the underwater photographs of narwhals in their habitat, and thought he would like to get a first-hand look. He grew up in Arctic Bay and has experience hunting the animals.

When setting out on a hunting trip in early July he decided this was the year, and borrowed the dry suit. It was an experience he will not forget.

"It was scary, though, because there was maybe a walrus, something like that," Akpaliapik said.

With the dark suit and black flippers on Akpaliapik says he looked a little like a seal, which walrus have been known to feed on.

"If there was a walrus I wasn't going to go."

But none of the great beasts were spotted at the floe edge 11 kilometres off the coast, and Akpaliapik jumped in.

Unfortunately there were no narwhals in sight either.

That did not keep him from swimming around in the ocean for almost half an hour.

"I didn't dive around because I didn't use oxygen tanks," he said. "It was nice though."

Akpaliapik thinks he will try swimming in the ocean again if he gets the chance.

"Maybe with the whales," he said.

While he did not see any narwhals when swimming, Akpaliapik and the other hunters did shoot a couple to bring back.