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A trip to the Arctic to make a wildlife documentary led to a momentous decision for Sue Flood and her partner Doug Allan.
 The perilous ice slabs |
Sue Flood and her partner cameraman Doug Allen went to the Canadian High Arctic to film Polar Bears and Beluga Whales. They camped out on the frozen sea with their Inuit guide, Olayuk.
Their job was to follow the animals around the ice and film them. All went well for about three weeks, until disaster struck. At about 6.30am Sue heard Olayuk shout "open water". Sue came out of the tent and about 20 feet in front was the edge of the ice. She turned round and looked behind her and immediately felt incredibly sick because she realized that the piece of ice they were on had broken up.
 Sue and Doug post ice slab trauma |
Swimming to the shore was impossible because of the iciness of the water. So, with just enough room to put up the HF radio, they contacted the local Inuit community to let them know that they were in trouble. But rescue was still a 4 hour helicopter flight away.
Sue feared the worse. The big problem is the shattering of the ice and hairline fractures were beginning to show. She started taking photographs to keep herself busy. Suddenly, Doug came out with "Will you marry me?". Sue just stared at him because she couldn't believe what she'd heard. But then she said yes, of course, whilst Olayuk looked on bemused.
 The polar bear ring |
It was about 5 hours before they were eventually rescued. By this stage, waves were beginning to lap over the edge of their little island and gradually gnaw away at the ice.
Sue's wedding ring is an account of the whole event. It was made by a friend with representations of polar bears, icebergs and snow. And on the inside are the co-ordinates of spot where the proposal took place.
Interestingly, the weather played a part at their wedding as well. They married in Connemara, Co. Galway where they had the worst snow storm for twenty years.
Doug jokes now that having proposed on an ice floe, he'll never have to take her back to some expensive hotel to recreate the experience. They are returning soon and Sue jokes that, "if they float off on the ice again, they'll be getting divorced not married".
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