We woke up to a misty morning as the National Geographic Explorer was cruising southwards along the east coast of Spitsbergen. This morning, however, still offered great excitement, as our Global Perspectives Speaker, Geoff Daniels from Nat Geo Wild, gave a fascinating talk with video clips of Svalbard´s wildlife.
During the morning we anchored in Hornsund on the western side of southern Spitsbergen. A young humpback whale was spotted just as it broke through the calm water. Many guests appeared on the front deck, eagerly clicking their cameras. Thanks to Captain Oliver, the ship was gently maneuvered so that we could observe the marine mammal without disturbing its behaviour, which at times seemed like bubble-feeding.
A hike after lunch to Gnålodden, on the northern side of Hornsund, was somewhat delayed, due to dense fog around the landing site. Although there was still some fog hiding the upper parts of the cliffs, the landing could eventually be carried out. Onshore we saw swarming kittiwakes and guillemots which occupy the ledges in the cliffs above. The old trappers named the place Gnålodden (“the gossip point”) because of the never-ending noise from the thousands of nesting seabirds above their cabin. During our hike barnacle geese, pink-footed geese, common eiders, fulmars, snow buntings and one great skua were also observed. Due to this year´s late snow melt-off, only a few purple saxifrages were found in bloom.
Most of the guests went by the trapper´s cabin where naturalist Magnus told the story of the trappers who once ruled this hunting territory of southern Spitsbergen. This area used to be a very good hunting ground for Arctic foxes and polar bears.
Some guests had signed up for kayaking, but with fog constantly coming and going around the ship, this activity had to be cancelled. However, another exciting activity constituted the final outdoor activity of the day: the polar plunge. Quite a few guests had the guts to jump or dive into the extremely cold sea water. After the encounter with the harsh Arctic liquid – with temperature near the freezing point - a hot chocolate was a popular treat for the shivering bathers.
Part of the recap of the day was reserved for a preview of Brian´s video from this entire expedition. The preview was a great reminder of the many wonderful moments that we have shared along the fjords of Norway and the land and waters of the High Arctic.
