Saving the best for last, Svalbard’s ice bears gave us quite a show today. The natural history staff stayed up into the wee hours of the night taking turns watching for bears until we found not one, but two polar bear sightings well before breakfast! The first polar bear was walking along the fast ice in front of Mendeleevbreen Glacier, and those that were not already conveniently awake at 4:00 a.m. were summoned up to the bridge. We bundled up and beheld the bear checking out a few seals in the distance before continuing on our way for more up close encounters to find. And indeed an incredible encounter was just hours away! Not too long after the first, we found another polar bear swimming through the water, straight into the ever shimmering Arctic sun. Keeping our distance, we waited patiently as the bear swam at approximately 2 knots towards some sea ice with an unsuspecting seal perched on top. In an incredible display, the great bear exploded out of the water, catching the seal with its mighty claws and tackling it into the water. Victorious, the bear emerged with its kill and dragged it back up onto the ice to feast on the slaughter throughout the rest of the morning. Eyes glued to the scene, cameras and binoculars were raised at the ready until we finally pulled back and headed towards Bear Island.