Calgarian leads all-woman group to be 1st to snorkel the Northwest Passage

Susan Eaton is a Calgary geologist who is now training for an Arctic adventure that’s never been tried before.

Her team wants to highlight how global warming is reducing the amount of sea ice in the Arctic, and is preparing with an 11-day expedition off Baffin Island in August.

“They are a people living on the edge in terms of the impact of climate change,” Eaton said. “It’s very real. Their buildings’ foundations are collapsing because of melting permafrost, their food stocks are changing, perhaps disappearing in some areas because of warming waters.”

Last year, the group snorkeled up the coast of Greenland, but Eaton has been preparing for the Northwest Passage for several years.

“It took us one proof of concept expedition in 2014 to prove that we can do up to 50 to 70 kilometres per day,” she said. “It proved that the Northwest Passage was within our grasp if we wanted to snorkel it.”

“We want to work with the Inuit communities along the way; we want to leave a legacy of ocean education outreach.”

Watch above as Global’s Carolyn Kury de Castillo explains the dangers the team will face, and click here for more information on the team’s website.