After spending the first two days of our expedition on the southwest corner of Spitzbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard Archipelago, National Geographic Explorer steamed south and then east toward Storfjorden, a large body of water between Spitzbergen and the island of Edgeoya. The goal was to find sea ice to enhance our chances of finding more polar bears. We were the first ship this season to venture in that area because it had been choked with ice until the last few days, and not navigable for most ships!
This particular morning however the winds were rather strong, which gave an exaggerated motion to our transit from west to east. Some of the gusts were ranging up to 35 knots or more as the Explorer made her way around the southern tip of Spitzbergen. The movement lasted most of the morning into late afternoon, but slowly settled down as the captain found some protection from the wind and waves.
All this travel, and maybe a little discomfort for some guests, paid off “big-time” when we spotted our first bear of the day on some fast ice. The added element of blowing snow gave the scene a real arctic flavor, which made for some dramatic photographs of this magnificent creature! The bear slowly wandered off, and we were soon under way again looking for more wildlife and spectacular scenery.
Eventually, it was time for the evening Recap, and then dinner, but the day still held more surprises for everyone! As the Explorer entered another area filled with miles of fast-ice, still attached to the shore, we hit the “mother-lode,” several bears were traveling across the ice, and a large group of walrus was hauled out along the edge of the ice. So slowly the captain brought us in close for a good look, and to our amazement there were several more bears that appeared almost out of nowhere, along with more walrus swimming along the ice edge. This was truly a wildlife spectacle, and an amazing way to end another expedition day in Svalbard!
