Waking to sunshine on the far north end of Spitsbergen Island, we rounded the northern tip, approaching 80 degrees of latitude. Pack ice was to our port side, and a few minke and fin whales were around the ship. All night, we had sailed along the ice-free western side of the island, heading towards ice and hopefully more wildlife. Our day would be successful in finding both ice and wildlife.
In the morning we entered the vast fjord of Woodfjorden, making our way deep inside to the Monaco Glacier. However, we were distracted again, by more bears. A small island first yielded a walking bear, and then a mother sleeping on a snow bank with her cub. The walking bear decided to become a swimming bear, swimming between multiple small islands, thus adding to our various bear experiences. We continued on, passing a few seals and some distant reindeer.
After enjoying warm weather yesterday, today was a real Arctic experience, with the temperature hovering around freezing for much of the day. This did not deter us though, as we boarded the Zodiacs to enjoy the ice around the Monaco Glacier. This massive glacier has filled the fjord with calved ice, and it was fun cruising amongst the blue ice contrasting with the pancake-flat sea ice. A few bearded seals were lounging on the ice, and a couple of pure white ivory gulls were seen as well. Photography was a challenge because there was a scenic shot in every direction. No matter which way we turned, the vista was breathtaking. An ice-choked fjord leading to a towering glacier face, all the time having massive black mountains looming high overhead. Quite a lovely spot.
As we left the fjord, beluga whales were spotted. Some excellent driving gave us great views of these “white whales.” They were challenging to photograph, especially with a bit of snow, but some great shots were taken nonetheless. Farther on, we entered the ice pack, heading towards 80 degrees north and a very special island. Moffen Island is a low, circular island that is a popular haul-out for walrus, and we were not disappointed. Many walrus were lounging in a large pile, just above the high tide mark. Others were frolicking in the water, with some juveniles even approaching the ship. All appeared oblivious to the fact that laying a short distance away was a polar bear. Occasionally stretching and rolling around, the polar bear added some excitement to a wonderful spot.
Late in the evening, we sailed away from Moffen Island, ending a fabulous day in the high Arctic filled with images of spectacular scenery and exciting wildlife.
