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CORAL HARBOUR - Two hunters returned safely to their homes in Coral Harbour this past Friday, March 13, after spending a day on a patch of ice that broke away from the floe edge.

Greg Ningeocheak and Sandy Pudlat left Coral on Thursday morning to go polar bear hunting about 70 km outside the hamlet.

Coral SAO Rob Hedley said everyone was happy when news reached the community of a safe crossing being found by the two stranded hunters. - NNSL file photo

They became stranded when the ice they were on sheared off and drifted away from the floe edge.

The two hunters were well-equipped and in constant contact with local searchandrescue (SAR) members throughout the ordeal.

A Hercules aircraft dispatched from CFB Trenton, Ont., dropped additional supplies to the pair on Thursday evening.

A helicopter summoned from Hall Beach did not take part in the search, as it could not get to the area until Saturday.

The ice drifted back enough for the pair to get on the floe edge Friday with their machines and equipment.

Neither suffered any injuries in the ordeal.

Coral senior administrative officer Rob Hedley said local SAR members did a fantastic job in responding to and monitoring the situation until Ningeocheak and Pudlat were back safely.

He said the scariest moments were on Friday morning, when SAR members reported the ice floe the hunters were on was disintegrating fairly rapidly.

"Everyone was quite happy when it was reported the two hunters had found a safe place to cross," said Hedley.

"They tested the crossing first using just their machines.

"The searchers could see them at this point, and they realized the crossing was safe enough to go back and retrieve all their equipment.

"Once they were back safely with the equipment, they met up with the search party and they all returned together."

Hedley said many of the searchers were surprised by how close to land Ningeocheak and Pudlat were when the ice sheared off from the floe edge.

"A number of hunters and searchers in the community figure the ice they were on broke away because the current at the time was very, very strong.

"In fact, because they knew the current was so strong, the search party that went out Thursday night took a boat and a motor with them.

"They had them at the site in case they had to try a risky retrieval if the hunters were drifting away or the ice they were on was breaking up."