Exploration

Polar exploration and more with geoscientist Susan R. Eaton

Episode 80

Journey through the Arctic and beyond in this captivating and enlightening conversation with one of Canada’s greatest modern-day explorers

  • Published Apr 09, 2024
  • Updated May 08
The Sea Women Expeditions team snorkels across the Arctic Circle off the west coast of Greenland in 2014. (Photo: Jill Heinerth. Courtesy of Sea Women Expeditions)
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A portrait of Sea Women Expeditions' Founder and Leader Susan R. Eaton during an ocean research and winter snorkel expedition at 70 degrees North Latitude, Arctic Norway, 2019. (Photo: Jo-Ann Wilkins)
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“Polar Exploration is not for the faint of heart.”

We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome RCGS Fellow Susan R. Eaton to this episode of Explore.

Eaton is a well-known polar explorer, geoscientist, educator, and the founder and leader of Sea Women Expeditions. In 2015, she was named one of Canada’s greatest 100 modern-day explorers by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a year later, she was selected by Canadian Geographic as one of Canada’s greatest modern women explorers. She was also inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2020. For the past decade, her organization Sea Women Expeditions has led Indigenous and non-Indigenous women scientists, artists, educators, storytellers and more on Arctic sea voyages of discovery.

We get into a lot of what is involved in this discussion. Our conversation includes swimming parts of the Northwest Passage, diving with orcas and humpback whales, working with Indigenous communities, fundraising lessons from Ernest Shackleton and what she’s learned about the polar seas with the changes brought there by climate change. It ends with a lovely ode to Haida Gwaii.

Enjoy!

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