Exploring Northeastern Svalbard
This day turned out to be strikingly good! Even the most experienced viewer of Svalbard’s wildlife could not wish for more. As the wake-up call sounded, we found ourselves just north of Storøya, which is located in the northeastern corner of the Svalbard archipelago. During the night National Geographic Explorer had been sailing from the drift ice around 81 degrees north along the east side of Nordaustlandet. While scouting the north side of Storøya, ten polar bears had been detected ashore, so hikes were out the question. Zodiacs were launched, and our guests and staff made a cruise along the shore that shall not easily be forgotten. Our first wildlife encounter was a herd of walruses hauled out on a rocky slope. A few calves could be seen among a majority of adults. During our sightseeing we probably counted more than two hundred walrus, both on shore and in the water. Heads of walruses of both sexes and various sizes popped up all around the Zodiacs. Two polar bears were searching for something to eat on both sides of the largest walrus haul-out. Due to this year’s lack of drifting sea ice, a lot of polar bears have been left behind on Svalbard’s many islands. Without ice, no seals and no hunting grounds. Hence, the stranded bears are forced to eat whatever else they can find. One of them was observed feeding on seaweed that had drifted ashore.
In the afternoon Kevin Schafer gave a fascinating talk on wildlife photography and some of his work for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE. As an example he showed pictures and told the story of his assignment on river dolphins in the Amazon basin.
At tea time Swedish hot dogs and beer were served on the aft deck. Jim Fowler then presented video cuts from his many Late Shows with Johnny Carson at NBC. Through a number of hilarious examples we could see how he managed to terrify Mr. Carson with wild animals like monkeys, a puma, a fierce lizard and a huge octopus that Jim brought into the studio.
Our evening recap had to be called off as Expedition leader Bud Lehnhausen announced that several humpback whales had been spotted from the bridge in Erik Eriksenstretet. Eager guests equipped with binoculars, cameras and loads of gigabytes rapidly gathered on the front deck. In an ocean framed by a blue evening sky and an endless glacial front in the distance, several groups of humpbacks were feeding in the area. One staff member counted 18 in separate feeding groups. A small group of humpbacks revealed their elegant fishing technique by creating their characteristic bubble rings just in front of the ship. Hundreds of kittiwakes swarmed over the rings, taking leftovers from each big meal. For the first time during this trip reluctant guests had to be chased into the dining room. So fascinated were they watching whales gorging themselves! However, the ship held its position, and the show went on after dinner. The sight of endless rolling whale backs punctuated by mighty blows right beside the ship was an incredible finale to a grand day.
