In the fall of 2018, Jill Heinreth and Mario Cyr filmed a video entitled “Under Thin Ice” on CBC for The Nature of Things. Mario proposed to Jill that they both collaborate to get a shot of a polar bear swimming in the open water.

Read The Scuba News Article on “Under thin Ice”

The “white bear,” aka the polar bear is often referred to as the “nanook,” based on the Inuit word nanuq. The polar bear’s diet consists of more than 70% meat, and lives primarily within the Arctic Circle, its associated seas and adjacent land masses. The polar bear has developed into a narrower ecological niche, with many body features adapted to cold temperatures, for moving around snow, ice and open water, and to chase seals that make up much of its diet. Male polar bears can weigh up to 1,543 pounds. The polar bears are known as marine mammals because of their reliance on the sea ice. The polar bear is listed as a endangered species, due to projected habitat loss caused by climate change. Polar bears can swim 10 km/h (6 mph) for 10 days without having to stop for food or relax.

In this video, Jill tells the back story of how she entered the water with wild polar bears and shot them while capturing “Under Thin Ice”.

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The post The Story Behind the Shot appeared first on The Scuba News.

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