you'll see come a little closer then you'll see ♪ ♪ ♪ ten thousand people stand alone now and in the evening ♪ ♪ the sun sets tomorrow it will rise time flies ♪

♪ by they all sang along time flies ♪ ♪ by they all sang along time flies ♪ ♪ by they all sang along time flies bye bye ♪ ♪ come a little closer then you'll see come on come on come on ♪ ♪ come a little closer then you'll see come a little closer then you'll see ♪ ♪ come a little closer then you'll see ♪

tonight on a special edition of "nightline" -- unicorns of the sea. we venture deep into the ashrct circle in search of the elusive endangered creatures. >> arctic adventure. an epic journey as the frozen planet literally splits open before our eyes. >> and a close call, as our team desperately scrambles to make it off the ice at the edge of the world. >> this special edition of

. good evening, tonight we take you to the edge of the world. on a quest in search of the elusive creature, known as the unicorn of the sea, the narwhal, both rare and endangered. what we discovered along the way, a landscape vast and beautiful, but some times deadly and changing rapidly. just getting there and getting home was an adventure of its own. here's abc's linz lindsay davi a journey to the far north we first brought you last year. >> reporter: it is the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere in one of the most inhospitable places in the world, aside from my guides, i am alone. the wind is punishing. the only thing my iphone is good for is taking video. [ indiscernible ] >> reporter: we are into our

third hour, getting pulled by a snowmobile, not another human being in sight. i can't see much through the fog, certainly not the campsite i am assured is out here some where. my three guide are nice, but not exactly inspiring confidence right now. what happened? >> the engine broke. >> it's broken? >> we are now down to one snowmobile. we left our backup behind on the advice, if that wasn't bad enough. >> are we lost? >> we are lost. >> i think he is joking but this does not bode well. deep inside the arctic circle on baffin island. bigger than california with 11,000 inhabitants not the kind of place you can stop to ask for directions. but this is the price of admission for a shot at seeing one of the most elusive creatures on the planet, the narwhal, the so-called unicorn of the ocean, with that single tusk that can be up to ten feet

long. it is the stuff of fantasy. and i for one need to see tight believe it. and sooner rather than later, the narwhal is said to be the most vulnerable species in the ashgt arctic to climate change. the stark reminders are around us, the big cracks in the ice, cracks that shouldn't be this wide this early in the summer. >> my mom would not be happy about this. >> reporter: the arctic sea ice is literally disappearing beneath our feet. on trend to beep fa faster this. the effect of the rising temperatures up here are dramatic. just a few 100 miles away from us, these tourists had a narrow escape when an ice wave caused by a falling glacier almost capsized their boat. despite all of the obstacles and dangers this far north, we press on. and suddenly, i notice some

domes on the horizon, our campsite. we made it. >> welcome to the edge of the world, right? >> right. this is our arctic base camp. >> reporter: greeted by tom, a team leader for arctic kingdom polar explorations. the only tour operator that offers land-based trips this far north. lesson number one for new arrivals, know what is beneath your feet. >> we are sitting on four feet of sea ice with 1,000 feet of water below us. it appears like it is firm. it is going up and down with the tide as well. how do you know it is safe? >> you can jump. >> reporter: jumping around. not going to end up in the 1,000 feet of water. >> you won't. >> reporter: the dark hole that's the ocean. >> that's the ocean. >> reporter: all that is separating us? >> don't think about it. >> reporter: we head to the edge where the sea ice meets the open water one of the richest, most diverse eco systems on the planet. >> i never get sick of it.

6 billion people. and one of 20 here at the flow edge watching this. i feel privileged. >> reporter: as the ice continues to disappear, so too will this fragile eco system taking the narwhal with it. >> code. wet. the rain coming down. the sleet. but we are going to see some nar wa -- narwhals. that makes everything okay. >> reporter: a budding photographer. on a mission. >> if we can get the narwhals shooting up their big long ivory tusk that is the pinnacle moment of seeing a narwhal. >> you are going to hear what is happening. >> reporter: before you see them, you can often hear them. which is why these headphones attached to a nifty underwater microphone come in handy. this cacophony of sound right here might as well be trumpeters announcing their presence.

>> in the open water. >> reporter: and then it happens. the rare moment we have come all this way for. >> the ice over there. >> reporter: when we come back, a close encounter with the mythical creatures and the close brush with 1,000 feet of open sea. oh! and the unexpected crack in the ice threatens to leave us stranded. avo: the volkswagen "sign then drive sales event is back. which means it's never been easier to get a new passat, awarded j.d. power's most appealing midsize car, two years in a row. and right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. hurry, this offer ends january 2nd. for details, visit vwdealer.com today [ coughing ] [ crying ]

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we rejoin our "nightline"

team for a close encounter with the mysterious narwhal, known as the unicorn of the sea and then the mortal threat they face on the arctic ice. once again, lindsay davis. >> reporter: through the fog, makes the moment all the more mystic mystical, they spot it an arched back off in the distance. quite a sight for sore eyes. >> i can't believe it. we have actually seen our narwhal. so they exist. they're not imaginary. >> there its actually one right there. and then another. this one much closer to the edge. before we know it, narwhals are everywhere. >> there are so many. there is like six or seven of them. >> reporter: we were hoping for a slightly closer encounter wecht v. we venture out into narwhal

territory. >> you are kayaking in the arctic. >> i am. >> this area its the only place in the world to see the narwhals. did you hear that? >> reporter: suddenly we hear something close take a massive gasp for air. >> there it is. see the whale right there. >> reporter: if as on cue, the fog clears just long enough for us to realize we are surrounded. they're all around us now. and for just a second, we spot it. don't blink or you will miss it. that ivory tusk. that's very cool. >> that was awesome. what got me hooked on the arctic they have chosen to come to you. >> reporter: you are not afraid snau a . >> no. they're not going to hurt you. they're curious, wondering what are you doing here. this is my backyard. >> reporter: just as quickly as the narwhal as peer, they're gone. a reminder of just how vulnerable the creatures are to climate change. but rising temperatures aren't just affecting the narwhal.

there are 4 million people living here in the arctic. as our guide showed me, this is not a winter safari destination. it's his home. the sea ice, his highway, his livelihoo livelihood, it's how he feed his family. >> i love hunting. >> that's one of your fav riori things to do? hunting for seals? we see for our self, hunting seal isn't easy. and with temperatures rising, it's getting harder. the ice is too slushy for most of the year for him to use a traditional dog team. the iron dog he now uses isn't exactly still thee. the seals can hear him coming from miles away. then escape down their holes into the ocean below. >> i think he is very cute. >> reporter: that is when they can escape. on the way back from narwhal

spotting we happen upon the seal pup. we thought it was just a photo opp. we couldn't be more wrong. a word of warning, what you are about to see is graphic. is it sad at all? it seemed like, it was a little baby? >> not a baby. just an animal. it's given to us. the creator gave it so we can survive on it. >> reporter: how do you explain it to westerners who say this is cruelty to animals? >> this know it cruelty. this is our food. this is how we have survived for thousands of years. >> reporter: a way of life, like the ice itself that slowly is disappearing. weather and ice patterns are becoming more unpredictable as the we are about to find out in a frightening way firsthand. >> a big crack behind charlie. >> big one. >> reporter: back at camp, a few hours later, a crisis. suddenly we find ourselves at the mercy of the rapidly melting ice. >> a big crack between us and

pond inlet. it melted faster. some elders said we should pack up and go. >> reporter: a crack in the ice growing with every minute. if it gets wider it might become impassible. leaving our group stranded on the sea ice. tom our team leader is playing it cool. >> no, i'm not stressing. when i have the guys around. i have confident. we'll get it done. >> wieric puts the situation in starker terms. >> we will have to leave immediately. hopefully make it back to pond inlet. before we float off into the ocean. >> it's all hand on deck to break down the camp as quickly as possible. >> a bit of trepidation at this point as we approach the crack. what they're calling a crack the i hope it really is that and not a chasm. we will see. the race against mother nature

is on. and what i see along the way is ominous. >> there is so much more water now compared to when i first came out here. it was, it was massive expanses of ice before. and now, it's like, little islands of ice. >> we press on. not even a smoking snowmobile is good enough reason to stop. until we arrive at the so-called crack, which looks a lot more like a lake. and that blue water, open ocean. 1,000-feet deep. >> this has all happened in less than six days. basically, five times the size it was a week ago. suddenly the sound of roaring engines, our inuit guides attempt to cross the 80-foot crack to try to got us home.

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the race against the melting ice in the arctic continues and our adventurers prepare to make their desperate dash for safety. once again, lindsay davis. >> reporter: the snowmobiles make it across the crack. is it intended to go over water like that? >> it is not intended to. people do it with enough speed. >> reporter: we see for ourselves what can happen if you don't have enough speed. a very close call. what about the rest of us. and the sleds? the guide examine a large chunk of ice floating in the crack to see if it will work as a bridge. team leader tom, playing it cool. even he admits it is an audacious plan. >> i have done big cuts, not as beg as this one. i have full confidence in the

guys. this is the arctic. these guys. this is their backyard. they know what they're doing. >> not a doubt in your mind that everybody will make it across. >> i will get you home. don't worry. >> i appreciate that. the laughter quickly dissipates. this is the moment of truth. as the the natives test the limits of the sleds and ability to make it across. >> oh. >> reporter: the first sled does not farewell, it careens across the track, like a runaway train. no one is acting very concerned. i'm thinking this is dangerous. just as the i start to think worst case scenario, it's my turn. you think we are going to be fine? >> yeah, should be fine. >> should be fine. should be. okay. all right. if you say so.

all right. we made it. thank you. the entire team is soon briefly dipped in the arctic as it makes its way across with varying degrees of success. >> are you okay? >> reporter: but success nonetheless. >> across the crack -- piece of cake. >> reporter: tragedy averted, at least in the short run. but the long term outlook is rather bleak. take a look at how much ice there was in the arctic during the summer just a few decades back. now, fast forward to what's left today. scientists say at the current rates, summer sea ice in the arctic will almost certainly be gone in 10 to 20 years. we saw firsthand, the melting of the ice is cause for real concern. let's not talk about it. i the might chicken out. there was one occasion where we

saw the benefit of a crack in the ice. >> did a rocky. >> reporter: that was to fulfill a long standing arctic tradition that i just had to try before going home. >> glad you are so excited about this. >> reporter: taking the polar bear plunge. this is the stupidest thing i have ever done. trust me. membership is not for the faint of heart. >> whoa! >> reporter: it was pretty fun. want to do it again? that was great. as we make our way back to solid land, the fog that has been dogging us all week starts to lift unveiling a bright blue arctic sky. and though i was too exhausted to enjoy it, i am told the view was breathtaking. for "nightline," lindsay davis, on baffin island.

what an incredible journey and story. our thanks to lindsay davis and producer alex waterfield. and "world news now" coming up with overnight news, tune in to "good morning america" tomorrow, and on line at abcnews.com. from all of us, merry christmas, happy holidays, and good night!