Safety Considerations This expedition is certainly not without its dangers, but good planning goes a long way towards reducing these risks – and we have spent many months ensuring that it will be as safe as possible. Primarily, being able to call for help should something go wrong is vital. We will take several forms of communication equipment with backups, including 2 satellite mobile phones and two EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, with built in GSP location). We will both carry one of each, so if we loose one P.A.C, or are separated, both can independently summon help, or contact each other using the satellite phones. We have located the various airports that could potentially reach us in an emergency, and obtained their respective contact numbers. There are two small airfields on the island itself – one in each of the only two settlements – Cambridge Bay and Holman, each with a number of aircraft and pilots, from float-planes and twin-otters to helicopters. Most reassuring, we have a great contact on the island, ‘Fred Hamilton’, who is a respected pilot based in Cambridge bay. He has given me a satellite mobile phone number that we can call 24-hrs, and said that if we ever get into trouble, call him, and he’ll be with us in about 2 or 3 hours - anywhere on the island. The design of our P.A.C’s is such that if needed, we could both fit in the one P.A.C with gear, while remaining afloat & stable. Even if one became badly damaged, we could still carry on, it would just mean a bit of ferrying back and forth with gear across lakes. Polar Bears - the worlds largest land carnivore and the only bear that actively preys on humans. Able to run at 40km/hr and stand over 11 feet high, they pose a serious concern. We have discussed the problem extensively with Victoria Island locals, hunting & trapping organisations, Canadian tour operators, and the Canadian Firearms Authority. We have the following lines of defence: Understand bear behaviour: We have read into polar bear behavioural signs to help identify if a given bear is simply curious or actively hunting us, and how we should react in each situation. Polar bear tripwire: Around the tent each night we will setup an electronic tripwire system that sets off an alarm – waking us and scaring the bear – if it wanders too close while we sleep. If all else fails: Although we are unlikely to even see a polar bear, the chance of being hunted by a hungry bear is real, so it is prudent to be prepared. We have arranged and filled-in forms to legally borrow two 12 gauge pump-action shotguns from a local hunter for our expedition. The recognised procedure is firstly to shoot ‘cracker-shells’ that explode noisily at 150m to scare the bear. We have ordered some of these. If the bear is determined and keeps approaching, then when it is within 30m we are to shoot to kill, using solid single-slug bullets. We will bring 25 of such bullets, as they are the recommended weapon for killing an attacking polar bear. We will each have a shotgun readily accessible in our P.A.C. and our harness has quick-release toggles so we can instantly unshackle ourselves and get back to the P.A.C within seconds in case we turn a corner and come face to face with a bear. Grizzly Bears – In a strange turn of events in the last few years, Grizzly bears have entered the island. They must cross the frozen ocean from mainland Canada. This phenomenon has just been noted in National Geographic, and our safety pilot on the island has seen Grizzlies on 15 separate occasions last year. While less aggressive than polar bears, grizzlies wander over the whole island rather than being mostly coast-bound. The same safety precautions apply to grizzlies as to polar bears. Bull Musk Ox – Bears may be relatively scarce, but Victoria Island has the world’s highest concentration of musk-ok – they are everywhere. A lone bull musk ox is very dangerous and they have been known to charge and gore people (especially photographers who get too close). The shotgun will serve to back us up here also, but we aim to respect these lone bulls and give them a wide berth. We both have our Senior First Aid certificates. Repairs to our P.A.C – We will bring a tube of silicon glue, epoxy, pop rivets, hand drills, spare sheets of aluminium etc – an extensive toolkit designed to enable us to recover independently from all but the most serious setbacks. White-water Rapids – We are going to undertake a training course to gain skills and test out the performance of our P.A.C.s in rapids. Waterproofing – Since we will be spending a significant amount of time on or near the water, it is of utmost importance that we keep all of our food and equipment dry. Everything will be stowed securely in two watertight compartments (bow & stern) of the P.A.C.s, snugly fitting into foam padding that will both act as buoyancy should the P.A.C spring a leak while out on the water, and also prevent equipment being dislodged and damaged should we roll. To be doubly sure to keep things dry, everything will be in its own waterproof bag inside these compartments. We have a list of appropriate phone numbers to call if we need to - from 24hr emergency contacts including pilots on the island, to people who can provide us simple medical advice etc. Track Record of Leading Well-Planned & Safe Adventures We have both always planned our expeditions very carefully, sometimes to the amusement of others who think we are being over cautious – but challenges and adventures are more about the experience rather than seeing if you can recklessly survive large risks that could have been planned against. Quoting Rory Scott – Australian Geographic Society trustee - in a media release about Chris’s Tasmanian Wilderness Expedition last year, Chris plans “everything to the nth degree” and his expeditions are “The sort of responsible adventuring that should be encouraged by the adventure naysayers out there.” We have planned withdrawal strategies valid for every stage of the expedition, so in the event of a problem, we will have a contingency plan to deal with it - where the nearest help could be dispatched from at our expense, whether we would have enough supplies for a self rescue, or, if serious enough, how to abort the adventure without a costly, public rescue – embarrassing for both our sponsors and ourselves. Back to Info Topics