Burgerbutka, Horsund Fjord, Spitsbergen
Today we spent our first full day up in the high Arctic in the ice. It was amazing to see so much ice in various shapes and forms. The morning was filled with important briefings and presentations about travelling in this special part of the world.
After lunch we had the chance for our first kayak outing in the ice. It was a spectacular chance to be out on your own weaving your way through the large pieces of ice recently calved from the immense tidewater glaciers. We could hear the snap, crackle and pop (just like the sound made by Rice Krispies cereal) of air bubbles being released as the ice slowly melted. It was almost a tropical day in the Arctic with no wind and warm temperatures.
There was also the chance to go further into West Bugerbutka during a Zodiac cruise. The Naturalists told us about the various seabirds we encountered. We had our first look at the black guillemots with their brilliant red feet, the tiny little auks with the super fast wing beats and the graceful kittiwakes. It was a wonderful introduction to Svalbard.
