Whale watching, Baffin Island, Canada. Whale watchers standing inside an airboat looking at whales. Airboats are flat bottomed boats propelled by a large above-water propeller. This type of vehicle is used when the arctic sea ice begins to melt, making passage too difficult for normal boats, and unstable for snow mobiles. The arctic waters off Baffin Island are home to several species of whale, including narwhals (Monodon monoceros), beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus).