Things have slowed considerably over the last week. My hope was to get offshore several days in search of ribbon seals, however I only made it out once and we found no seals. The pack ice has moved in very thick and is preventing any boats from leaving the harbor on most days. Seki-san told me that a plankton bloom has occurred underwater, reducing visibility greatly. I feel lucky to have been diving when I did, since now photography would be far less productive. The weather has also been highly variable in recent days, from rain to snow to thick fog to crystal clear skies and lots of strong wind. I have used the down time to continue packing my 20 plus cases of gear and organizing shipping. I will ship some cases to Tokyo, where I will spend next and several cases to Toyama Bay where I’ll begin diving and shooting again in about a week.

Pack ice prevents boats from leaving the harbor.

Photograph by Brian Skerry

I drove to the west coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula a few days ago to the town of Utoro along with Mac Nagata and Steve & Hiro Drogin to shoot some landscapes or rather seascapes of the pack ice there. Historically, Utoro has much thicker pack ice that comes in right to the shore and it tends to be more solid than the drift ice I have seen off Rausu. From Utoro, tourists can go on ice walking tours, during which they wear survival suits and hike over the ice fields. In just what I have seen during my three weeks on the Shiretoko Peninsula, I know that I could spend a lifetime here photographing the magnificence of its wilderness. I have barely scratched the surface or the depths for that matter and would love to do so much more during winter and all the other seasons.

On the way back to Rausu, we found a young Ezo Deer that had wandered out on to the drift ice. These deer are fairly numerous in this region and are known to sometimes travel out to the ice. I watched her carefully move along ice floes and even swim from one to the next. I have to believe she was freezing, but from my vantage point, she seemed fine. I spent a few hours photographing this animal until it became too dark to shoot. Later that night I returned to the place we had seen her and the deer was still there. I don’t know if she made it off the ice or not, but the next morning she was gone, so I’m hoping she made it safely back to land. 

Ezo deer on the ice.

Photograph by Brian Skerry

My experiences in Hokkaido have been wonderful and I am a little disappointed to be leaving. The diving has been fantastic and I’ve been introduced to many new species and seen incredible things. I have enjoyed every minute on the ice; the sea eagles and seals and the beautiful morning and evening light. I will miss the snow capped mountain views, the thermal springs and the quaint, little, traditional restaurants we visit each night and the hospitality of the people I have met. Through my years as a National Geographic photographer I have been privileged to travel to so many fantastic places and to meet so many great people, but Hokkaido has earned a high place on my list from now on.

So, … it’s off to Tokyo now for a few days of business as well as prepping for the squid of Toyama Bay!

—Brian Skerry

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