Ice edge, Svalbard
After departing Bjørnøya (Bear Island) late last night (or was it early this morning?) we steamed steadily north and by mid-morning we approached the edge of the sea ice to the south of Svalbard. After passing a couple of smaller icebergs (the Arctic does not have the large tabular icebergs that are familiar to travelers to the Antarctic) we reached the sea ice at 76° north.
We then entered a monochrome world with the expanse of ice interspersed with darker areas of open water. Occasional blue pools of hypersaline solution were seen on the sea ice. The rest of the day was spent exploring the ice. Steaming along the ice edge, occasionally venturing into the pack. Sometimes it was foggy, at other times pure blue skies and bright sunshine. Always we were on the look out for marine mammals, and one very special marine mammal in particular.
Late afternoon we found our prize – a large male polar bear prowling the ice in search of prey. An ivory gull, another high Arctic specialist, watched the bear pass from a nearby ice floe, hoping for a kill and a chance to scavenge from the leftovers. In this region bears typically feed on ringed seals but today we had seen none, so perhaps both the bear and the ivory gull were going hungry? No such danger on board, as we dined this evening on the excellent fresh cod caught at Bjørnøya (Bear Island) yesterday.
After dinner the wildlife watching continued at a riveting pace with a further two polar bears in the distance. Additionally there were two groups of beluga whales, including some dusky grey youngsters, and several bearded seals. Add to this a constant passage of Arctic seabirds, including Brunnich’s guillemots and Pomarine skuas, and there was never a dull moment. As midnight passed with the sun still well above the horizon and a beautiful light suffusing the sea-, land- and ice-scape, many guests remained on deck, not wanting to sleep and miss a moment of this extraordinary experience.
This season there will be other polar bears. There may be closer bears. There will be bears with kills and bears with cubs. But there will only be one first of the season, and today we saw it.
After departing Bjørnøya (Bear Island) late last night (or was it early this morning?) we steamed steadily north and by mid-morning we approached the edge of the sea ice to the south of Svalbard. After passing a couple of smaller icebergs (the Arctic does not have the large tabular icebergs that are familiar to travelers to the Antarctic) we reached the sea ice at 76° north.
We then entered a monochrome world with the expanse of ice interspersed with darker areas of open water. Occasional blue pools of hypersaline solution were seen on the sea ice. The rest of the day was spent exploring the ice. Steaming along the ice edge, occasionally venturing into the pack. Sometimes it was foggy, at other times pure blue skies and bright sunshine. Always we were on the look out for marine mammals, and one very special marine mammal in particular.
Late afternoon we found our prize – a large male polar bear prowling the ice in search of prey. An ivory gull, another high Arctic specialist, watched the bear pass from a nearby ice floe, hoping for a kill and a chance to scavenge from the leftovers. In this region bears typically feed on ringed seals but today we had seen none, so perhaps both the bear and the ivory gull were going hungry? No such danger on board, as we dined this evening on the excellent fresh cod caught at Bjørnøya (Bear Island) yesterday.
After dinner the wildlife watching continued at a riveting pace with a further two polar bears in the distance. Additionally there were two groups of beluga whales, including some dusky grey youngsters, and several bearded seals. Add to this a constant passage of Arctic seabirds, including Brunnich’s guillemots and Pomarine skuas, and there was never a dull moment. As midnight passed with the sun still well above the horizon and a beautiful light suffusing the sea-, land- and ice-scape, many guests remained on deck, not wanting to sleep and miss a moment of this extraordinary experience.
This season there will be other polar bears. There may be closer bears. There will be bears with kills and bears with cubs. But there will only be one first of the season, and today we saw it.
