Belugas, puffins, and bears—oh my! As our team chases the miraculously good weather that we have been soaking up, wildlife came to light on full display as we explored the southernmost fjord within Spitsbergen today, Hornsund. Belugas beckoned us into the southern side of the fjord as our outstanding naturalist Jimmy White spotted small bubbles and particularly pale heads bobbing just below the water’s surface. After catching a few glimpses of these amazing toothed whales, we saw some puffins puttering in the water just on the other side of the ship! Slowly sailing deeper into the sound, we were delighted to find polar bear number two for our trip! Our Svalbard local and naturalist Stefano Pozzi announced “Bridge! Bridge! Bear at 1 o’clock!” over the radio. Slightly closer than the first bear we had seen, we gazed in awe as it strolled along on the sea ice in front of a massive glacier, Samarinbreen.
The weather was so simply splendid that the galley team opted to have a BBQ lunch outside on the back deck, while parked in sea ice no less, cherishing the sunshine and gargantuan mountain scenery surrounding us. Some of us were hoping the sensational smell of sausages would perchance entice some curious wildlife from in front of Hornbreen glacier, but alas.
We set out westward to Burgerbukta where Captain Martin Graser found yet more fast ice to park the National Geographic Orion while he and a few others decided to take a dip into the icy asunder! Ten other brave souls joined the Captain in a polar plunge while the dive team took an extended version of the plunge exploring the benthos for an ever so slightly longer period of time. Just before plunging, we stepped out onto the ice for a walk around in the snowy wilderness for a photo opportunity and admiring some fresh polar bear tracks.
The sun still shining brightly, everyone warmed up inside for a lively recap.
