July 17
This morning, we intended to explore Isflakbukta on the island of Phippsoya for a hike. However, our plans were disrupted by a Polar Bear. Instead, we disembarked into the zodiacs and formed what the Team calls a Wagon Wheel. The zodiacs kept closely in a line, and we slowly and quietly approached a sleeping Polar Bear. We circled around many times so that everyone had some fantastic views. During the time we watched it, it moved a few times, including when rolling around in the snow. Bayne thinks he got his best Polar Bear picture as the sky was clear, and the bear was very cooperative.
Ryan, the Expedition Leader, had been very secretive about the plans for the afternoon. The schedule they posted the night before listed Expedition Afternoon. This secrecy continued throughout the day until they announced we were heading to Svalbard's most northern island – King Karl XII Oya (Island). It is well beyond 80o north, the furthest north we have been in our lives. As we approached the island, they invited us up to the bow deck to see the island emerge from the fog. We got within 1.5 km of the island before we set anchor, but the fog was too thick at that point to see anything.
The team scouted the small island and, shortly afterwards, called us out for a zodiac cruise. We didn't know what to expect as the fog was so thick, but we ventured out to see what we could see. We started at one end of the skinny island, with a small hill (about 100 m), and then cruised along the coast. The fog added an ethereal atmosphere, and the water was shallow and clear. They hadn't told us about the haul-out of Walrus on the other end of the island. As we approached, we could hear them growling/grunting. It was a lovely surprise, and we had some great views of them swimming and lying in the rocks in the fog. The photos were magical!
We returned to the ship after 8 pm and headed directly to the dining room for a late dinner. The kitchen staff on board the vessel have been so accommodating to our schedule changes, allowing us to take advantage of the wildlife viewing opportunities. Needless to say, we headed right to bed after dinner.
July 18
We had a slightly later start this morning to give the crew to have a bit of recovery time after the late night last night. Breakfast was served at 8 am, and we were on our way southeast to Kvitoya (the White Island). While travelling, the ornithologist (Kai) presented on Gulls of the High Arctic. The presentation was interrupted about halfway through with an announcement that some whale had been spotted ahead. We quickly grabbed our cameras and binoculars on our way to the bow decks. They kept their distance and didn't stick around very long which meant we didn't get great views of them. This has led to some discussion among the crew about what they were, but the current theory is that they were Narwhals, and we aren't about to disagree.
When we arrived at Kvitoya, we set out in the zodiacs again, as there were Polar Bear sightings that would have prevented us from landing. This time, there wasn't just one bear, but three! Two of them were quite active and walked along the shore together before separating when one went to feed on a carcass in the water. The third bear was sleeping on a patch of snow, and it didn't move the whole time we were there. A large haul-out of Walrus also made for more great photos.
July 19
Today's schedule included a morning and afternoon landing, but you may be able to guess what happened to those as there has been a trend in the past few days. They were both changed to other activities due to Polar Bear sightings. In the morning, we cruised around Kapp Lee (instead of landing). There used to be a walrus and beluga station there, and some buildings are still standing (along with a pile of walrus skulls). We saw a large flock of Pink Footed Geese, some reindeer, some walruses, and the two Polar Bears that had prevented us from landing.
We didn't even travel to the area that we were scheduled to go to in the afternoon as the ship that visited yesterday saw Polar Bears, and they were reasonably sure they wouldn't move on any time soon. Instead, we headed to Negribreen and had a presentation from Ymke on the geological formation of Svalbard on the way.
Negribreen is a beautiful bay filled with icebergs surrounded by glaciers. We set out on a zodiac cruise where we saw a bearded seal and about 20 ivory gulls, which are usually hard to spot. The brash ice was getting quite thick in places (especially when approaching the bearded seal) and our guide had to be careful where he navigated. We even brought a chunk of ice back to the ship and it was used as ice in the drinks that evening!
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