0:00:37 > 0:00:39The High Arctic in winter.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46One of the toughest places on Earth in which to live.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Only three top predators are able to survive here.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01The wolf, searching for its prey over the frozen lands.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11The Arctic fox, scraping a living on the empty coasts.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18And out on the sea ice, the polar bear.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22To live here, year round,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25these hunters must exploit the good times
0:01:25 > 0:01:27so that they can endure the bad.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33All life in the Arctic must face one fundamental problem.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Not the cold,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40but the endless cycle of change.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56When the sun returns to the Arctic in spring,
0:01:56 > 0:02:01it launches the greatest event of seasonal change on Earth.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09A change that rules the life of the world's only sea ice hunter.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19The polar bear is totally dependent upon the sea ice in order to hunt.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25It must eat two thirds of the food it needs for the whole year
0:02:25 > 0:02:27in the next three months,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31before the sun melts the ice from beneath its feet.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Seals are the bear's most important prey.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45At the start of spring,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48they come out onto the ice to give birth to their pups.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Beneath it, they can't stray far from their breathing holes.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03That makes it easy for the bears.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16But that window of opportunity is brief.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Soon, the sea ice is riddled with melt holes.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28The seal pups have grown large enough to swim
0:03:28 > 0:03:30and disappear into the water.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It's increasingly hard-going for the polar bear.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Now, resting seals are surrounded by holes in the ice,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52so they have their pick of escape routes.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56And, once in the water, they can easily out-swim a bear.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Each seal is very sensitive to every movement on the surrounding ice.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21A bear can only hope to get close enough to pounce
0:04:21 > 0:04:24by taking advantage of the melt holes.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Ah... Not as straightforward as it looks.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58The trick is to find the hole nearest to the seal...
0:05:03 > 0:05:05..without popping up in view...
0:05:07 > 0:05:09..and ruining the surprise.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Almost there.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30But once under the ice,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32it's easy to lose your bearings.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40Blast!
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Gently does it.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13ICE CRACKS
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Oops.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26Only one in five stalks is successful on this thin ice
0:06:26 > 0:06:27at the end of spring.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32The bear's best season is ending.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39An expanse of sea-ice the size of Australia will soon break up.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46The Arctic's best hunting is no longer out on the frozen ocean,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48but on the land that surrounds it.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55And that is the territory of a different kind of hunter.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10After a lean winter and spring,
0:07:10 > 0:07:15the good times have finally arrived for the Arctic wolf.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34On the land, the snow is melting away as summer approaches...
0:07:36 > 0:07:40..and that makes the job of finding prey...
0:07:42 > 0:07:44..considerably easier.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55Arctic hares.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Like the wolves, they stay white throughout the short summer.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08While they can run, they can't hide.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13And to make matters worse, now is the time they have their young.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21A mother hare risks feeding her leverets
0:08:21 > 0:08:24for only a few minutes each day.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Her white colour makes her only too conspicuous.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36When wolves are spotted, Mum runs for it.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48That makes sense. Her leverets have a better chance without her.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Unlike their mother, the leverets are camouflaged.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16They're nearly impossible to spot, even when right upon them.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26What they must do...
0:09:28 > 0:09:30..is keep their nerve.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54When forced to break,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57they can still give the wolves a run for their money.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33The leveret hunt may appear an unfair contest.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39But for every one caught, hundreds more remain hidden.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Food is so hard to find this far north
0:10:47 > 0:10:50that a wolf pack must search hundreds of square miles
0:10:50 > 0:10:52if it's to be successful...
0:10:54 > 0:10:58..and success means raising the next generation.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01WOLF PUPS WHINE
0:11:03 > 0:11:07To do that here, the wolves must work together.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14So, the young are raised not only by their parents,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16but by their aunts and uncles as well.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Together, they try to ensure that each pup reaches near-adult size
0:11:26 > 0:11:28before the snow returns.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35A growing pup needs more than just a few leverets.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40The wolves need bigger prey
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and, to catch that...
0:11:42 > 0:11:43WOLF PUP HOWLS
0:11:43 > 0:11:45..they must hunt as a pack.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49WOLF HOWLS
0:11:51 > 0:11:54WOLVES TAKE UP HOWL
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Adult hares may be easy to spot,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12but they are far from easy to catch.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17They run at 40mph.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26To catch one, the wolves work as a team.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11One of them gets close enough to bite the hare's tail...
0:13:15 > 0:13:18..but a hare can change direction in an instant.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30If it can continue to sidestep and jink,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32it may ultimately outlast them.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Finally, it gets away.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05For the next hare, the whole pack gives chase.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Now, numbers count.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26The lead wolves keep up the pace.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Others run on either side, so the hare can't change direction.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40A tiny meal for the whole pack...
0:14:43 > 0:14:44..but the only one there is.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01By July, time is running out for the polar bear.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Three million square miles of ice are fractured and adrift.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The seals are now much harder to find.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24Scattered within an ever-shifting maze...
0:15:28 > 0:15:32..the advantage has swung away from the bear.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52With the ice now broken up, the bear can't even get close.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10She's too visible and noisy in her approach.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45She has no choice but to change her tactics.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59She swims amongst the drift ice...
0:17:03 > 0:17:05..and keeps a low profile.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Once the seal is in the water, it's as good as lost.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32She has to grab it before it hits the water.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05The margin for error is tiny...
0:18:10 > 0:18:13..and the cost can be great.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Each failed attempt brings her closer to starvation.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31At this time of year, polar bears, on average,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34succeed only once in 20 hunts.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44If the hunter is skinny, like this one, that may not be often enough.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56All she can do is keep trying.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36To prevent her scent betraying her,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40she makes a wide sweep to get downwind of the seal.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Getting close.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19She's now right behind the seal.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Incredibly, she caught the seal underwater.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14It's only small, but even so,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18its blubber alone will contain 100,000 calories -
0:21:18 > 0:21:21enough to sustain this bear for a week.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35And, in that time, she might even catch another.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47But this can't go on forever.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50As summer continues, temperatures are rising.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Each hunt requires more energy,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58draining the bears of their reserves.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16When the melt is finally complete,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20it reveals some of the ocean's richest waters.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29There is an explosion of life.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Millions of birds arrive from the south.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43In the 24-hour daylight, they can feed around the clock.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55The Arctic coasts are suddenly thronged by breeding birds.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07CHICKS CHIRP
0:23:20 > 0:23:24The window of opportunity has now opened for a third hunter -
0:23:24 > 0:23:26the Arctic fox.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33After a winter spent scavenging, the foxes can now finally hunt.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37It's the best time to have pups.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40PUPS GROWL AND YIP
0:23:40 > 0:23:46Up to 20 of them will be raised to independence in just 90 days.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51But none of them will survive their first year,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55unless their parents make the most of the short summer.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03With the snow gone, the foxes shed their white fur
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and become a camouflaging brown.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08It makes hunting easier.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15But some birds have a dramatic answer to the fox problem.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23There are no trees, so they make their nests high on sea cliffs,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26well out of the reach of a fox.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38The vast majority, however, are forced to nest on the ground.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Many of them rely on camouflage.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Eider ducks slow their heart beats, which helps them avoid detection.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Others have no need to stay out of sight.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16The powerful Arctic skuas defend their eggs with aggression...
0:25:26 > 0:25:28..and dirty tricks!
0:25:42 > 0:25:45BIRDS CAW
0:25:49 > 0:25:52There are other options for the fox.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Each year, upwards of 30 million little auks come to the Arctic.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06They nest in the scree slopes at the base of the cliffs.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Their answer to the fox problem is to hide deep among the boulders.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43And it seems to work.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54A hungry fox can get very frustrated.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Running at the auks is not the answer.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23He needs to be more patient.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29It's time to use that famous foxy cunning.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38If the boulders can hide the auks, they can also hide a fox.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53A tiny head, in among the boulders.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36The auks are just too quick off the mark.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43What is needed is a distraction of some kind.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51A glaucous gull, also hunting auks.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Little auks may cope with one threat, but what about two?
0:29:24 > 0:29:26The auks are out-foxed...
0:29:30 > 0:29:33..and the pups will get their supper.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45It's now the final weeks of summer.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50The sea ice has completely gone.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56The bears that wandered freely over the frozen ocean all winter
0:29:56 > 0:29:59are now marooned on beaches.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10The seals are fishing out at sea.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Only walrus join the bears on the shore.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21But adult walrus are gigantic.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25They weigh two tonnes and, armed with long tusks,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27they're too dangerous for bears to take on.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39During these ice-free months, the bears' bodies almost shut down.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49They are zombie bears...
0:30:50 > 0:30:53..overheated, hungry...
0:30:54 > 0:30:57..pining for the ice to return.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06But some bears refuse to take the summer lying down.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29This bear is doing something really extraordinary.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52It's hard to imagine a place less suited to a polar bear
0:31:52 > 0:31:56than 300 metres up on a crumbling sea cliff.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Guillemots nest here in their thousands,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05precisely because it's so dangerous for land-living predators.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19But the sounds and scents of a bird cliff can be irresistible
0:32:19 > 0:32:22to a starving bear at the end of summer.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Desperation has led him to risk his life.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40The only prize to be had - a few eggs and chicks.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51It is an extreme gamble.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08He works methodically,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11scooping up the contents of every nest he can reach.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30The bear moves slowly and carefully.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43He lives and sleeps amongst his prey.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05The guillemots can't prevent the carnage.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Nonetheless, some bravely try to do so.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45The polar bear will remain on the cliff until the end of summer,
0:34:45 > 0:34:47when the guillemots will leave.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51And, at that moment,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54a fox will take his chance.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Far inland, the wolves have a problem.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10The adult hares have dispersed...
0:35:12 > 0:35:15..and the leverets have got organised.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26Their adult coat of fur has turned white for the winter,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28so they can no longer hide.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Instead, they gather together.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42The wolves' hunting technique, it seems,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44can't deal with groups like this.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58They now leave the hares
0:35:58 > 0:36:03and instead go in search of a much more dangerous prey.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20The largest animal in their territory.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Musk oxen.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37WOLF HOWLS
0:36:40 > 0:36:45A single bull weighs more than the entire wolf pack put together.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50It has a reinforced skull, armed with horns.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57There are also calves in the herd,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59but they are well-protected.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15The alpha female leads the hunt.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24First, they run directly at the herd.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29The aim is to panic them.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34A stampeding herd might leave a calf behind.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40The tactic begins to work.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47But then, the herd regains control.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57They stand defiantly in a protective ring around the calves.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07There is no way in.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17The alpha female calls off the hunt.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28But the search for food must go on.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33To stand a chance of surviving the winter,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37the pack needs to feed well now, even if it puts their lives at risk.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51A lone bull - the most dangerous prey of all.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01One blow from his horns could kill a wolf.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09But the wolves are now ready to risk everything for a meal.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55The bull is easily their match, physically...
0:39:58 > 0:40:02..but the wolves take it in turns to wear him down,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05risking their lives to do so.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26Trapped in the gully, the bull has nowhere to go.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Despite the danger, the wolves keep up their attack.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41The bull may take hours to defeat...
0:40:43 > 0:40:47..but this kill will feed the whole wolf pack for a week.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53With the good times soon to end,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56the lives of their pups may depend on it.
0:41:06 > 0:41:12Summer on the coast comes to an end with one last spectacle.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Hundreds of thousands of guillemot chicks
0:41:17 > 0:41:19are in the final stages of their preparations.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Ahead is the biggest day of their lives.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38The day they will leave their nest by jumping from the cliffs...
0:41:39 > 0:41:43..and try out their wings for the very first time.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47It's quite a test flight.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Half a mile to the safety of the sea.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05When the time comes, encouraged by their fathers,
0:42:05 > 0:42:07the first take the leap.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31The chicks have tiny, stiff wings,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34so they can do little more than glide.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Their fathers try to nudge them, to keep them on a good flight path...
0:42:42 > 0:42:45..one that will take them all the way to water.
0:43:14 > 0:43:19With the first few safely away, the sky begins to fill with jumpers.
0:43:21 > 0:43:27Wave after wave of chicks and their parents career down towards the sea.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33No chick takes this first flight alone.
0:43:40 > 0:43:41In just a few days,
0:43:41 > 0:43:46an entire generation - thousands of chicks - will take this leap.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55With luck and a fair wind, the majority make it to the water.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04But nonetheless, many fall short.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Glaucous gulls are quick to grab a meal.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29A guillemot chick has no defence against gulls...
0:44:38 > 0:44:40..unless father can get back in time.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51The chicks continue to rain down.
0:44:54 > 0:44:59Those that get separated from their parents stand little chance.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05And even a father's protection may not be enough.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15This is the fox's moment...
0:45:18 > 0:45:20..the easiest hunt of the year...
0:45:22 > 0:45:24..but it's also the briefest.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28The chicks all come at once.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32The synchronisation of the jump overwhelms the fox.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43The bad luck of some allows the escape of others.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05The last chance to fill his family's bellies is gone,
0:46:05 > 0:46:07almost before it started.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19The chicks that have made it to the water have no time to rest.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Unable to take to the air, they must swim 100 miles south
0:46:24 > 0:46:27before the ocean surface turns to ice.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Winter is approaching fast.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48The sea ice is starting to form.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57A floating continent is about to materialise.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07The land becomes white once more...
0:47:10 > 0:47:11..as does the fox.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18For it, months of scavenging lie ahead.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29But for the bears, the good times have finally returned.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Their window of opportunity is back.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08Every summer, polar bears must adapt to the changing Arctic
0:48:08 > 0:48:11by switching their hunt from the ice to the sea.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16In order to film this behaviour for the first time,
0:48:16 > 0:48:19the crew of The Hunt must be prepared to do the same.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27While the bears remain on the ice, the crew will rely on
0:48:27 > 0:48:30the traditional approach of long lens and tripod.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34I prefer to be as close to the animal as possible with the tripod,
0:48:34 > 0:48:36that's my style.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40But when the ice starts to break up,
0:48:40 > 0:48:44they plan to take to the water alongside the bears.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45Why do you need so much kit?
0:48:45 > 0:48:47It's not so much kit, it's just kit that allows us
0:48:47 > 0:48:50to film a completely stabilised image from a moving boat,
0:48:50 > 0:48:52so that's the best way of doing it.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54Two different approaches...
0:48:54 > 0:48:57So, Rolf, do you think Jamie has a better chance of getting
0:48:57 > 0:48:59polar bear behaviour with all this technology?
0:48:59 > 0:49:00No!
0:49:00 > 0:49:02..two different cameramen,
0:49:02 > 0:49:04one inevitable competition.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09With time against them,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12the crew seek out the final patches of sea ice,
0:49:12 > 0:49:14locked in sheltered bays.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20Jamie has no chance to go into that ice with the boat,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23so it's my turn to move with the snow scooters
0:49:23 > 0:49:27towards the polar bears and try to film them, the first time.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30As it turned out, Rolf didn't have to move far.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Polar bears are one of the few animals on Earth
0:49:34 > 0:49:35that will come and find you.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Crazy!
0:49:39 > 0:49:41It's coming straight at us.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43This one was ready for his close up.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I just grabbed some shots of him walking towards us,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54but he didn't stop, and came closer and closer.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07At the last second, we escaped, and he was even running behind us,
0:50:07 > 0:50:08so it was pretty intense.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14Even a crazy bear is better than no bear,
0:50:14 > 0:50:18so Rolf continues to film him through the Arctic night.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22They get used to us quite fast.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24They realise we are not a danger
0:50:24 > 0:50:27and, as long as we stay a certain distance, we can observe them
0:50:27 > 0:50:31and, hopefully, get all the behaviour that we are looking for.
0:50:35 > 0:50:40Suddenly, we recognised he was heading towards a bearded seal.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47He approaches the seal
0:50:47 > 0:50:50and does that meltwater stalk that has never been filmed before.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56He seemed to have some problems to find the right way,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59by diving through these pools.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03We all got really excited.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05We thought, "This is going to happen."
0:51:05 > 0:51:08And, finally, the seal just jumped in the water.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14And we got a little bit nervous because we saw the bear
0:51:14 > 0:51:17coming up again at some point, looking at us,
0:51:17 > 0:51:21and it was not that far any more, perhaps 50 metres,
0:51:21 > 0:51:22and then he disappeared again.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26I look up at Rolf and I look back down at the melt ponds around us
0:51:26 > 0:51:29and realise that, in any of those ponds,
0:51:29 > 0:51:31the bear could explode out and take us.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36To be stalked by a bear is...quite dangerous.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40You think I should do it that way?
0:51:40 > 0:51:43I mean, if I'm honest, I think it's just exciting!
0:51:43 > 0:51:45ROLF LAUGHS
0:51:47 > 0:51:50A brand-new bear behaviour in the can,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53the crew pack up the camera and head back to the ship...
0:51:54 > 0:51:55..a little too late.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Within minutes, a fog descends
0:52:00 > 0:52:04and they find themselves travelling blind through bad ice.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12As I do the swing to try to head back to the better sea ice,
0:52:12 > 0:52:14I realise that I'm missing Oskar.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19At the end of the sled, I banged into the ice.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21I was thrown over the scooter,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24and the scooter just slowly started to sink,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26pulling the sled with all the gear into the water.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33Oskar had to cut loose the snowmobile to save Rolf's kit
0:52:33 > 0:52:36and walk all the way back to the ship.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39We either had a chance of losing the snowmobile or a Swede.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Unfortunately, we lost the snowmobile.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43LAUGHTER The Swede's fine!
0:52:45 > 0:52:49This is the way we go swimming in the Arctic, you know?
0:52:49 > 0:52:52But while everyone is safely back on board,
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Rolf's kit is still out there, somewhere on the ice.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06Without his kit, Rolf's shoot is over.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11See? I'm nice.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Finally, at three in the morning, relief.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39The thing about a meltwater hunt is
0:53:39 > 0:53:44that you can only observe them in meltwater, which means in thin ice.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47And, I mean, there's a reason that nobody filmed it before.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49It paid off, to take the risk.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56When the sea ice breaks up, it creates drift ice -
0:53:56 > 0:53:59a constantly shifting, floating maze.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03The place for Jamie to try his luck.
0:54:07 > 0:54:08Now we're in the drift ice,
0:54:08 > 0:54:12I can actually get this boat in the water and do some work.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15There's no drama, there's no falling through the ice,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19nobody's running around screaming, getting chased by bears.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21We're just following bears around calmly
0:54:21 > 0:54:24and, hopefully, we'll film them hunting.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28BLEEPING
0:54:29 > 0:54:31We're a little bit stuck in the ice.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33BLEEPING
0:54:33 > 0:54:35There's no drama,
0:54:35 > 0:54:37there's only a couple of kilometres of ice to get through.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Plenty of time before lunch(!)
0:54:43 > 0:54:46Trying to navigate through a shifting maze
0:54:46 > 0:54:48takes a bit of practice...
0:54:50 > 0:54:53..but it's full of rewards.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05It's absolutely amazing. So beautiful.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09So many different shapes. It's just...
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Everywhere you look, there's just amazing sculptures of ice.
0:55:18 > 0:55:23Being more mobile means the crew start to find more and more bears...
0:55:26 > 0:55:28..each one, a character.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36With such access to the Arctic's top predator,
0:55:36 > 0:55:38the crew eventually find their star.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49The elusive summer stalk of the polar bear
0:55:49 > 0:55:51is finally captured on film.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57It came up right behind the seal, the seal dived in the water,
0:55:57 > 0:56:00but the bear jumped off the ice into the water
0:56:00 > 0:56:03and then came up a few seconds later with the seal in its teeth.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09Everything came together, really.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12It was incredibly lucky that we were in the right position.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15We could so easily have missed everything that happened.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Yeah, I'm chuffed to bits that we actually got a successful hunt.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27It played out in front of us and we were able to catch it.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31The only way to succeed in the Arctic,
0:56:31 > 0:56:34whether you're a polar bear or a film crew,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38is to have more than one trick up your sleeve.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47Next time, The Hunt is on in the forest...
0:56:49 > 0:56:51A tangled world
0:56:51 > 0:56:55that hosts the ultimate game of hide and seek.
0:56:58 > 0:57:04To succeed here, a predator must perfect the art of the ambush.