The bears of Brooks River, like all bears that consume fish, utilize various fishing styles that we can observe on the Explore.org live cams in both Brooks River and Naknek Lake. Diving for fish is one of those various fishing styles. Most bears don't appear to like to get their ears wet, so diving is not for every bear. However there are some bears that will submerge completely underwater to obtain food resources.
This BBC Earth video discusses how the bears that don't seem to enjoy getting their ears wet can adapt to obtaining dead salmon on the bottom of a river or lake.
An underwater view of the diving fishing technique can be seen at approximately 0:42 into this Discovery video. (Thank you GoldilocksCanada for locating and sharing this amazing footage.) One of the bears that utilize the Brooks River, 94, has been captured on the Explore.org live cam, scroll down to 94 to see the amazing footage on the video by cam viewer and KNP&P visitor, Melissa Freels.
This diving behavior is not exclusive to the bears that use the Brooks River. This 8/20/2011 video by LadyBoss shows a bear at McNil River diving for fish. Don't let the belly flops fool you, this bear goes completely underwater, rear paws up at approximately 0:42 into the video.
Captive bears also dive for fish. This can be observed in this 11/13/2013 video by Brians Art for Animals of Axhi. Axhi was born on Admiralty Island, Alaska. Soon after the birth of Axhi and his brother, their mother was killed. In 1995, after Axhi and his brother Jim became nuisance bears, they were offered a home in a zoo. Jim does not dive, therefore, Axhi is able to capitalize on the sunken food resources due to his ability to dive for fish.
Deanna Dittloff (aka Deelynnd) created a video titled "The Art of Diving Bears 2020."
The following Brooks River bears have been observed diving for fish, a fairly rare fishing style:
1 Diver:[]
Probably the most famous bear known to dive for fish was the one that was nicknamed for being frequently observed utilizing that fishing style. 1 Diver was last observed at Brooks Camp in 2000. In June one year before the sockeye salmon run began, Diver emerged from below the water with a beaver in his mouth. 1 Diver can be observed (year unknown) at approximately 4:03 into this video by Ray Wood diving in the jacuzzi.
1992: []
1992.09.19: 1 Diver can be observed at approximately 36:56 into this video by 1spooned diving in the lower Brooks River from the camp side below the floating bridge.
1992 (?):[]
(1 Diver ? 1994 - approx 16:00 into this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fndg7sBisXw St Mango found 2017.09.16 )
27: (451's 2017 Male Offspring)[]
2022:[]
mckate captured this July 14, 2022 video of 27 diving in the jacuzzi and catcing a fish.
2023:[]
UrsineFeline captured this video of 27 diving in the jacuzzi on July 23, 2023.
mckate captured this video of 27 doing some lower river diving on July 28, 2023:
27 dives in the jacuzzi and submarines out with a fish, twice in this August 1, 2023 video captured by mckate.
51 Diver, Jr.:[]
There is no known relation between 51 Diver Jr and 1 Diver, they are both just known to submerge themselves completely underwater to fish. 51 will dive in both the jacuzzi and Naknek Lake. There are no known videos of 51 Diver Jr diving for fish at this time. We continue to look for a way of sharing him being observed utilizing this fishing technique.
68:[]
2017: []
This July 21, 2017 Explore Recorder video includes 68 fishing the jacuzzi. At approximately 31:40 into the video, 68 submerges completely underwater (diving) and catches a fish in the jacuzzi. He then brings his catch to the South bank to eat it and returns to the jacuzzi to continue fishing.:
88:[]
2023:[]
88 was observed diving in the jacuzzi on August 1, 2023 video captured by mckate
94:[]
2023:[]
94 can be observed diving in this 07/20/2023 video by mckate.
2020: []
94 can be seen diving in this 10/2/2020 video by Lani H.
2018: []
94 diving with her 3 cubs swimming video by Linda Jett on October 2, 2018. At the beginning, she dives...but, is mostly off screen. At 1:45 she is clearly seen diving to the bottom....with her three cubs swimming at the surface.
2016:[]
94 (not 879) diving on September 12, 2016 in this video by Brenda D.
94 was captured diving for fish in the lower Brooks River by Melissa Freels on the Explore.org underwater live cam on 09/15/2016.
151 Walker:[]
2024:[]
151 Walker was observed diving on October 2, 2024; LaBelleCorisande captured this video (first dive around 3:15 in the video):
151 Walker dives! 2024-10-02 11-44am RW explore.org
video by LaBelleCorisande
(first dive around 3:15 in the video)
225:[]
2023:[]
225 does some diving in this September 11, 2023 video by mckate.
2024:[]
225 is captured diving in this July 20, 2024 video by twelve22. twelve22's video is likely the best footage we have obtained of a diving bear using the Brooks River.:
225 Dives - July 20, 2024 (explore.org)
video by twelve22
twelve22 captured this July 26, 2024 video of 225 diving near the elevated bridge again.:
225 Dives Near the Bridge - July 26, 2024 (explore.org)
video by twelve22
273: []
273 has been observed diving in both Brooks River and Naknek Lake..
2023:[]
273 can be seen diving in this 07/29/2023 video by Terry Miller (aka sundogsNM).
2020:[]
273 can be seen diving multiple times in this 9/29/2020 video by Lani H.
273 snorkeling and diving while a subadult watches, 10/6/2020 video by Lani H.
273's long dive video by mckate on 10/7/2020.
273 diving with one of her yearlings, 10/11/2020 video by Lani H.
273 diving with her yearling, 10/14/2020 video by Becky Osberg.
2015:[]
JoeBear captured this 8/21/2015 video of 273 diving for fish in the lower Brooks River just off the corner.
273's yearling cub: []
2020: []
273's yearling cub can be seen diving in this 10/10/2020 video by Birgitt. The cub has been watching Mom 273 diving.
273's blonde yearling diving, 10/11/2020 video by mckate.
273's yearling diving with 273, 10/14/2020 video by Becky Osberg.
274 Overflow:[]
2023:[]
274 Overflow diving video by mckate 10/19/2023
289: []
2016:[]
289 can be observed diving for fish in the lower Brooks River while being courted by 856 on 07/09/2016 in this video by Ratna.
402:[]
402 will dive in the jacuzzi at Brooks Falls, in the lower Brooks River, and in Naknek Lake
2024:[]
402 slips off the lip and then quickly takes advantage of landing in the jacuzzi by diving for fish on 07/07/2024 in this video captured by Terry Miller (aka sundogsNM).
2023:[]
402 slips the lip, dives for fish, checks on yearling, and smacks 821 Pepper in his July 26, 2023 video by mckate.
2020: []
402 can be seen diving at 5:26 into this 7/24/2020 video by Lani H. 402 is seen diving multiple times in this 9/16/2020 video by Lani H.
2019: []
On 7/21/2019, 402 can be seen making a brief dive in the jacuzzi , video by Lani H.
402 and her cubs are seen on the underwater cam on 7/23/2019. 402 can be seen making a brief dive to retrieve a fish on the river bottom, video by mckate.
402 was seen diving in the jacuzzi on 9/21/2019, GIF by GABear. Lani H also captured 402 diving in this 9/21/2019 video.
402 is seen diving in the jacuzzi and coming back up in these two GIFS by GABear on 9/22/2019. 402's 3 yearlings are seen behind her.
402 is viewed making multiple dives in the jacuzzi and catching a fish on 9/25/2019, video by Lani H .
On 10/2/2019 402 is again observed submerging her head and making multiple dives in the jacuzzi, video by Lani H.
Subadult 812 approaches and enters the jacuzzi when his Mother 402 (speculated) is seen surfacing after a fairly long dive, video by mckate, 10/4/2019.
402 is seen diving in the jacuzzi and resurfacing in 2 GIFS by GABear on 10/16/2019.
2018: []
On 7/25/18, 402 brought her 4 spring cubs to Brooks Falls. The 4 cubs can be seen sitting on the bank watching Mom diving in the jacuzzi, video by Lani H from the Brooks Falls low cam. In a 2nd Lani H video from the high cam, 402 is seen diving at 0:07 and 0:40.
402 brought her 4 cubs to the falls again on 7/31/18. While the cubs sit below the Falls platform, 402 wades into the river and dives into the jacuzzi, emerging with a fish. The cam pans back to her cubs who wait on the bank until Mom finishes consuming her salmon off camera (0:13-1:40).
A 9/18/18 video by Lani H shows 402 making multiple dives on the lower river while her cubs sit on the bank eating fish scraps. These dives can be seen at 1:42, 2:17, 3:00 and 3:20.
On 9/25/18, 402 is seen diving in the Jacuzzi area while her cubs are out of the frame. Video by Martina.
2017:[]
402 diving and snorkeling at BF September 25, 2017, videos by st mango,#1 and #2.
402 diving at BF video by BrendaD 9/25/2017
806 is fishing the lip with 503 in the jacuzzi below. 402 (503's speculated Mom) wants to dive for fish but 503 is in her way, a minor squabble ensues. 402 is then seen submerging most of her body from 0:48-1:02, video by 12gizmo16, 9/26/2017.
402 diving at BF, 10/5/17, video by lee pastewka.
2016:[]
402 dives for fish in the jacuzzi multiple times in this 10/14/2016 video by Martina that also shows 402's two yearlings and 719 (435 Holly's 2.5 year old newly emancipated subadult) in close proximity to the 402 family group. Melissa Freels also created this extended video of the time frame on 10/14/2016.
402 and her yearling are in the boat cove while 94's yearling is resting on the spit. Martina captures this 10/15/2016 video of 402 diving in the boat cove
2015: []
Juergen's 7/12/2015 gif of 402 diving in the jacuzzi .
Martina's video captures 402 diving on 9/13/15 in the lower Brooks River just off the point while her 4 spring cubs follow on shore.
83 Wayne Brother has a front row seat as 402 does some jacuzzi diving in this 9/26/15 video by BirdyGirly and this 9/26/15 video by Martina .
402 dives for fish in the jacuzzi in this 10/4/2015 video by JoeBear and then her 4 spring cubs come to meet her near the island down river of Brooks Falls.
402 can be observed diving for fish in the jacuzzi on 10/6/2015 by viewing Juergen's gif that also shows the 4 spring cubs in the current of the river.
2014:[]
At approximately 1:37 into this video by Donna T. Bennett 402 is the bear diving in Naknek Lake. Interestingly, yearling 503 Cubadult is on the spit with his adoptive family, 435 Holly and her biological female cub 719. 402 is 503's biological mother.
2013:[]
In a 10/2/2013 video by Linda R. Jett, 402 and 1 of her 2 spring cubs are seen fishing at the falls. 402 is observed diving in the jacuzzi multiple times but only catching a fish on the 2nd attempt. The dives are at 1:36, 2:05 🐟, 2:59, 3:23 and 3:35.
403 Egberta:[]
403 Egberta and her sibling 402 share this faily rare fishing technique. There are no ranger confirmed photos or videos of 403 Egberta diving at this time.
2007:[]
It is possible that 403 Egberta can be observed diving in the jacuzzi in this 2007 video by maxventuri. We are attempting to obtain ranger confirmation to ID the diving bear in this video.
435 Holly:[]
2020: []
435 Holly can be seen diving by the lower river bridge in this 10/1/2020 video by Kwaahu (aka CamOp Kwaahu).
2018:[]
This 7/26/18 video of a diving bear is believed to be 435, video by Lani H.
On 9/6/18, 435 Holly was observed snorkeling near the lower river bridge/underwater camera. 435 Holly was observed diving for fish.
Cruiser created this gif of 435 Holly showing off her Olympic swimming skills on the Underwater cam (p 11/30/2023 06:04).:
435 Holly diving on the Underwater Cam video by mckate.:
435 Holly can be observed diving to the river floor and retrieving a fish, video by Lani H. Her cubs are also seen swimming on the underwater camera. A 9/25/18 video by Lani H shows 435 Holly diving by the floating bridge. She appears to have retrieved a fish scrap in her mouth.
451:[]
2018:[]
On 9/26/2018, 451 is seen fishing on the lower river with her 3 yearlings. At 0:16 she submerges and emerges with a fish, video by Lani H.
813 Nostril Bear:[]
2014:[]
One of the times 813 Nostril Bear was observed diving for fish was on 09/15/2014 in the upper section of the lower Brooks River while her 3 spring cubs waited on shore near the grassy knoll: DTB's video of that observation . Has 813 created her own unique spin-off of diving...Submarining?
854 Divot:[]
2011: []
854 DIvot can be seen diving completely underwater to secure a fish from 0:56 - 3:07 in this 2011 video published on 10/22/2019 by Travel Adventure.:
901:[]
2020:[]
901 can be seen diving for fish in this 8/8/2020 video by Birgitt.
901 diving and catching a fish, 8/27/2020 video by mckate.
2024:[]
901 can be seen snorkeling and diving for in Naknek Lake in this video by twelve22.
901 Snorkels and Dives in the Lake - August 14, 2024 (explore.org)
video by twelve22
910's Adopted Niece, "909 Jr"/"909 F":[]
910's 2023 Adopted 2.5 Year-Old Niece, "909 Jr"/"909 F":[]
During the September 26, 2023 play-by-play (@ approx 16:20 - 17:20) Ranger Felicia Jimenez discusses observing "909 Jr"/"909 F" attempting to dive for approximately 10 - 15 minutes in the mouth of the Brooks River one evening over the previous weekend (between 9/22/23 - 9/24/23). The uncoordinated cub's front two paws could be seen sticking out of the river as she attempted diving rump & rear paws down first. The 2.5 year-old adopted niece of 910 did manage to successfully catch of a live fish using her unique diving technique.:
Play by Play 9.26.23 & Fat Bear Junior Bracket Reveal - Brooks Live Chat
Explore video
910's 2024 Adopted 3.5 Year-Old Niece, "909 Jr"/"909 F":[]
910's adopted 3.5 year-old niece (aka "909 Jr") was observed diving for fish again this season. fernw created this gif (p 09:17).:
910's adopted 3.5 year-old niece (aka "909 Jr") diving for fish July 16, 2024 gif created by fernw (p 09:17)
Unidentified Bears:[]
2016:[]
An unidentified bear was observed by the lower platform dunking and submerging itself numerous times before finally coming up with a fish. Amalia Garduno published this video on 9/5/16.
2018:[]
An unidentified bear was seen diving on the underwater cam located on the lower bridge on 7/30/18, video by Cloud. The bear can be seen taking a breath and then diving straight to the bottom of the river where it retrieves a fish.
An unidentified subadult was observed on the lower river cam snorkeling and appearing to shallow dive/submerge on 8/21/18, video by Lani H. This behavior can be observed at 1:14 and especially at 3:19 where the subadult catches a fish on the 3rd attempt.
On 8/29/18, a subadult (possibly one of 284's emancipated 2.5 year olds) is seen on the lower river repeatedly diving for salmon. At 1:19 you will observe the subadult make 6 attempts before finally catching a salmon, after being submerged for 8 seconds. 8/29/18 video by Lani H.
On 8/31/18, a subadult is seen on two different occasions diving on the lower river camera. Is this the same subadult that has been seen on 8/21 and 8/29? Lani H captured the action here and here, 8/31/18.
The subadult diving bear was observed again making multiple dives by the point before catching a fish. Video by Lani H, 9/1/18.
An unidentified subadult was seen on 9/15/18 diving for fish near the lower river bridge. The fish was apparently not fresh enough and was dropped, 9/15/18 video by Lani H.
Mckate also captured 9/15/2018 video of the same subadult diving and thought it might be 901? You can see a faint, lighter fur "t-shirt" pattern on the fur.
A 9/16/18 video by Lani H captures an unidentified subadult snorkeling in the lower river. The subadult dives twice (1:00 and 1:29) catching a satisfactory fish on the 2nd dive.
An unidentified diving bear was captured by Lani H on 9/25/18.
An unidentified bear is seen catching a spawned out salmon on 9/27/18, video by Lani H.
Lani H captured an unidentified subadult diving on the underwater cam on 9/28/18.
An unkown subadult was observed diving on the lower river, 10/6/18 video by Erie. The dives can be seen at 3:20 and 4:03.
The same unknown subadult as seen on 10/6/18 was captured again on 10/7/18 by Lani H. This subadult may be the female blonde subadult of 284.
2020:[]
Unknown subadult #1 was observed fishing in the jacuzzi with 912 on 8/6/2020. The subadult could be observed diving in the jacuzzi multiple times, video by Lani H.
Unknown subadult #1, possibly the same subadult that was diving in the jacuzzi near 912 , "submarines" on the river watch cam, 8/6/2020 video by Cruiser.
Lani H also captured 2 videos of unknown subadult #2 diving on the river watch cam, part 1 and part 2, 8/6/2020.
Unknown subadult #2 was captured diving by the "picnic" area on the lower river, 8/8/2020 video by photobearsbry.
~PLEASE ADD BEARS IN NUMERICAL ORDER~