Watch What Happens to Two Kayakers When a Massive Glacier Collapses Right Next to Them

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Kayaking is a great way to explore the outdoors. You can see the Chicago skyline by kayaking in the lake, exploring the mountains and valleys in Washington, and more. One group went on an adventure that allowed them to kayak next to massive glaciers. 

A sensational video of their experience shows just how lucky they are to be alive. The footage depicts the melting of a sizable glacier in Alaska as well as the two individuals who experienced a close brush with a potent natural force. 

In August 2019, outdoor enthusiasts Josh Bastyr and Andrew Hooper set out near Spencer Glacier. The two men went kayaking and camping for one night near the glacier. 

After establishing camp, the two headed to the glacial lake to paddle through the area around them. The two walked nearly two miles to the glacier and heard distant calving. This made them curious as to what was going on nearby. 

Glacier Calving

The process by which glaciers naturally lose mass is called calving. When an opening appears in a glacier’s margin due to the effects of water or wind, melting ice, or other circumstances that make the glacier unsteady, the calving cycle occurs.  

A glacier’s terminus becomes fragile due to its forward momentum, which causes ice to crack. We know these giant chunks of ice as icebergs. Icebergs can be enormous. There has been one the size of the entire state of Rhode Island! 

Ninety percent of an iceberg is under the water, making it dangerous to all sorts of vessels. Even now, tidewater glacier-calved icebergs pose a threat. 

A Close Call!

The two made the decision to look into the thunderous sounds and finally encountered one of nature’s astounding natural forces. Massive pieces of ice kept plunging into the water, driving waves crashing into the two paddlers as they waited in the water just in front of the glacier. 

Both kayakers watched in astonishment as bigger fragments and more water began to crash into the surface of the water. They were hit by an outburst of water that was caused by immense waves and a big splash. 

Bastyr was able to flip his camera backward and capture the glacier emerging from the ocean as the two were compelled to flee for shelter by the powerful waves. A few people who have seen the video have said that the kayakers should have never been that close in the first place. 

They were putting themselves in danger and Bastyr agrees.