In the pack ice off of Edgeøya, The Svalbard Archipelago

The whole day was devoted to the king of the Arctic, the ruler and the majesty, the wanderer of the Polar Ice, the Polar Bear or as some prefer, ISBJØRN, the ice bear. For the bridge it was almost 24 hours high alert since we spent the whole day exploring the pack ice. It is a real challenge to make way through big chunks of ice and, at the same time, try to reach somewhere.

The first wake up call came at about 3 AM: a Polar bear was just off the bow. As the day progressed we had about eight more. With each sighting one really gets the feeling that this is the territory of the Ice Bear. To see this magnificent animal in its proper environment is something very special, something we will remember for the rest of our lives.

This animal is huge, a forceful killer but still very elegant as they jump between ice flows. In the water they are strong and skillful swimmers, as we saw on several occasions.

Once you have seen a Polar bear in the pack ice it will be hard to find anything more impressive. Why don’t YOU come and check it out?