Sept 20-21 Arriving at Svalbard – ocean transect completed

On our last day in the sea ice some took to the 'water' in zodiacs. It was way too cold for me (I have a slight cold from spending too many hours standing out on deck) but Lindsay and others went on a last zodiac ride amongst the sea ice. 

The sun low in the sky created stunning light effects 

They tried to wash the ice and snow off the zodiacs but it refroze within minutes

After a day pushing through the marginal ice zone – that region between the pack ice and the open sea, we navigated to and made land on the other side of the Arctic Ocean, Svalbard our destination, a wonderful icy archipelago in the Artic Circle north of Norway. We were the first cruise ship to have transected the Arctic Ocean - Alaska to Svalbard.  Quite an exciting experience.

A pretty dawn after our first dark night

In the morning we woke to a see a huge glacier outside our window. It was mighty! We had arrived in Wahlenbergfjord, a deep fjord on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard’s northeastern island, the third biggest icecap in the world. We all piled into zodiacs to drive through icy chunks to the glacier front - from horizontal ice to vertical ice, glaciers and their carved offspring! Our driver was a little nervous so we didn't get anywhere close to the glacier front but we saw lots of floating ice.

A large chunk calved off the glacier seen in the background

This bergy bit is full of rock worn away by the action of the glacier

An awesom sight to contemplate - we were 1-2 km from the glacier's front

The birds hang around waiting for the glacier to carve and then dive for food

When the glacier calves the broken piece crashes in to the sea churning up nutrients from the depths. The birds loiter about the glacial front waiting for that to happen and then they all swoop in to see what rises to the surface.

Dainty Black-legged Kittiwakes

Yes of course we landed later in the day! there we wandered along a great stretch of beach made of shattered slatey rock - the glacial moraine. I spotted some interesting rocks along that beach and it was rather a mind-teaser to contemplate what forces, over what period of time, produced these piles of small rocks.  Other people took to the hills to wander high on the tundra slopes but the long hikers had to retreat early as a bear was spotted and the guides take no risks - particularly as bears can run at 40 kph!  Despite that it was a marvellous beginning to our short visit to Svalbard - and wonderful to be on land.

The landscape was spectacular in its silence - few get to experience this!

We beachcombers were a small bunch numbering just four plus our expedition leader (and his rifle)

The landing party is always accompanied by a medic and armed guides

The surrounding hills looked breathtaking with a dusting of snow but the place is splendidly desolate

We have only a few days here before our voyage of explorations comes to an end – but there is a lot to see before then. More anon ….