A day of ice and whales. Overcast skies were unable to diminish the primal beauty of our morning in Krossfjorden. Our first stop, pre-breakfast, was the marvellous ice cliffs of the Lilliehookbreen (Lilliehook Glacier). National Geographic Endurance cruised close (enough) to the ice face, providing a spectacular vantage point from which to view this dynamic ice. A little farther south and after a scrumptious breakfast, we were walking on or Zodiac-ing along the rugged coastline near another expansive river of ice–the 14th of July Glacier. (So named by Prince Albert of Monaco who visited the glacier on Bastille Day.)
The afternoon was a time for marine exploration: hunting for whales. By heading west into the open Atlantic Ocean, we encountered a number of whales where the continental shelf drops off sharply to greater depths. We saw fin whales, minke whales, and white-beaked dolphins, all of which were energetically feeding on dense schools of fish. As the afternoon drew to a close, the ship turned back towards the east and the archipelago that has enchanted us for the past week.
