It all started in New York City this past summer. Explorer Justin Fornal, along with fellow adventurer Wesley Archer, made the first attempt in history to conduct a nonstop swim from Canada to Greenland across the Nares Strait.
Justin is an international explorer, long distance swimmer, and writer. He was the expedition swimmer and was central in telling the story of the arctic and its inhabitants. Justin is also the host of Unexplained and Unexplored on the Science Channel. Wesley, also an explorer and adventurer, is a general aviation pilot with over eleven hundred hours in a Cirrus aircraft. Wesley co-produced and directed planning for the expedition, flying his personal single engine plane to Qaanaaq; he also functioned as a safety supervisor during the swim.
The adventure started on August 7th, when Justin and Wesley set off from a NYC airport in Wesley’s single engine aircraft and flew to Qaanaaq, Greenland, one of the northernmost settlements on the planet. From there, they made their final preparations and with the aid of local hunters and the support of the local community to head north into the Nares Strait.
The team set off from Qaanaaq in two boats in the direction of Pim Island, Canada with the goal of Justin swimming the width of the Nares Strait with Wesley staffing a support kayak to assist Justin in the event of any difficulties. The Nares Strait can have some of the most extreme weather in the Arctic. The winds can reach gale force as the result of the Nares Strait compression zone and the ice flows are unpredictable
HAZARDOUS TERRITORY
While in route to Pim Island the team encountered an impenetrable wall of ice. The local team would not take their boats any further towards Canada as they could get caught between the moving pieces of thick ice and crushed to splinters. The only option was for the swim to begin from the ice wall. On August 15th, Justin jumped from the Arctic ice-sheet and began his swim towards Greenland through icy 40-degree below water as Wesley rowed in a kayak next to him full of supplies including food, water, and hot drinks. Support members remained close by in power boats to help navigate, deterring territorial walrus, and assist emergency extraction. “Every stage of this expedition from flying, nature, and culture, reaffirmed the respect I had for them going in. Without respect for those three, we wouldn’t have made it,” Wesley said.
Justin reached the rocky shores of Greenland where the team rejoiced. The swim was extremely challenging and a true test of human endurance. While the team was not able to attempt a Canada to Greenland swim on this expedition, Justin completed the first long distance swim of the Nares Strait in history. The team plans to return in 2023 to complete the full swim. “The swim was majestic, and we learned a lot. I cannot wait to return next year to complete the full swim from Canada to Greenland,” Justin told us.
The support team included:
· Emmy award nominated filmmaker Emiliano Ruprah
· Mahiautsiaq Eipe, team translator · G.W.K. Moore, science advisor
· Sakiko Daorana, Greenland advisor/expedition fixer
· Polar Bear International
· Otto Simigaq, guide/boat captain
· Argiunnquaq Qaernagag, guide/boat captain
For more information on The Great Arctic Swim, visit greatarcticswim.com