Many a paddler has had an encounter with a bear in the wild. Whether our favorite furry friend is poking around your bear hang at night, or encountered from the water it always makes for a memorable story at the… bear minimum.
From grizzlies chasing kayaks to polar bear run-ins, here are the best kayak vs bear videos on YouTube:
BEAR: On the Alaskan Coast, a bear breaks a kayak leaving paddler left to swim for help.
During a solo kayak trip from Ketchikan, Alaska to Petersburg, Alaska, kayaker Mary Maley’s boat was mauled by a bear. In one of the most viral paddling bear videos of all time, Maley shouts at the bear in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to scare it off.
The video begins five minutes after the attack began, and the bear continued to eat her kayak after the video concludes.
BEAR: Grizzly chases kayaker across a river
Near Squamish, British Columbia, watch as a kayaker is chased by a Grizzly bear on the Elaho River.
DRAW: After observing an uninterested polar bear, kayakers lose dignity to walrus
While sea kayaking in the Arctic, Steve Leonard and Jason Roberts have a serene encounter with a polar bear only to be attacked by a walrus! Jump to the 2:30 minute mark to get to the meat of the video.
KAYAKER: Paddlers successfully scare off a polar bear without further incident.
On a sea kayak expedition in Greenland, Steve Backshall and his team have a frightening encounter with a polar bear in search of food.
In this video, the crew is well-equipped for bear encounters and ultimately grateful that the bear scares away in the end and they don’t have to resort to methods of self defense that could harm the bear.
Feature Image: While on a kayaking expedition in Greenland, Steve Buckshall and his team encounter a polar bear. PBS | YouTube
