What a polar bear day! It started one hour before the scheduled wake-up call when Jonathon, our expedition leader, announced over the PA system: “We have a polar bear with two cubs ahead of the ship! Please move outside in a silent manner, and keep low voices out on deck.” The ship was gently maneuvered towards the three bears, and we saw two small cubs together with a fairly young, healthy mother.
We spent the whole day searching for wildlife, broken up with various lectures from the naturalists on board. Carl Erik Kilander gave an introduction to Svalbard´s geography, history and natural environment. His talk was almost coming to an end when one of the crew members spotted another bear in the far distance. Elise Lockton gave a comprehensive lecture on polar bears, and photo instructor Rich Kirchner talked about the secrets of improving our expedition photography.
After dinner we heard the captain´s voice announcing another two separate polar bears that he had spotted from the bridge. Many guests went out on deck to get a glance of the magnificent creatures. The sight and sound of an ivory gull in the late evening rounded off an extraordinary day in the true home of the polar bear.
