Alaska, “The Last Frontier”, where I received a “Certificate of Achievement” during a cruise last year (2015) from Holland America Line “for braving the waters and participating in the Polar Bear Plunge”. How to swim and plunge like a polar bear? Here are what we can learn from the polar bears for mitigating risk and uncertainty in Alaska’s ice waters:
- Polar bears are good swimmers and have been reported swimming at least 40 miles.
- Polar bears can dive under ice and use seal haul-out holes to surface in.
- Polar bears swim rather high in the water, with the head and shoulders out of the water.
- Polar bears can swim distances of at least 40 miles over open water.
- They swim using the fore-feet only, with the hind legs trailing and the long neck stretched out.
- Polar bears swim using the forelimbs to pull themselves through the water, while the hind limbs trail behind.
- Polar bears use their front legs for propulsion in the water, with the hind legs acting as a rudder.
- Polar bears can remain underwater for two minutes.
- Polar bears are good swimmers and divers. They swim with the hind legs trailing, using the forelegs only for propulsion. The muzzle is extended, but in rough seas the head (including muzzle and eyes) may be submerged and the muzzle rise only for the bear to breath.
- Polar bears are strong swimmers; all age and sex classes swim voluntarily, but younger individuals may spend more time in the water, and engage in swimming without any apparent purpose. Cubs sometimes sprint across the ice and dive head-first into the water – similar to the actions of older bears rushing at a seal. To dive, they usually go down head first, with the hind end initially out of water. When stalking, they use a different method, surfacing with the nose only, and then slipping back under the water.
- Polar bears have excellent control while swimming, such that they can surface, breath, raise their head to look around and submerge again without causing the water to ripple. They swim under the ice between breathing holes during some aquatic hunts, while in other hunts swim along interconnecting channels through the ice.
- Bears have been observed to spend several hours swimming in one direction (about 5 miles travelled in this way in one instance). Submergence times of 37-72 seconds were recorded.
Polar bears are good swimmers, using their front legs for propulsion and their back legs as a rudder. They can swim distances as long as 65 km over open water. They can dive and swim underwater for up to two minutes. Usually they dive head-first; however when stalking in the water they just raise their head or nose out of the water then slip back under the surface. Swimming and plunging a polar bear, we can mitigate the risk and uncertainty of diving into the ice water. Remember: Safety Always Comes First!
drjohnxwang 