PLA09-25, trip log, Around Spitsbergen, In the realm of polar bear & ice

After travelling from far and wide, with some having spent a few nights in Longyearbyen, and others flying in in the morning, we started to gather outside the Plancius in the afternoon. From four o’clock, the Oceanwide Expedition Team and crew welcomed excited guests onboard, as they embarked onto what would be our home for the next nine days. After being shown to their cabin, guests settled in with a hot drink in the lounge before taking part in the mandatory safety briefing and abandon ship drill. Chief Officer Martin took us outside to see the lifeboats, with all of us dressed in our bright orange life jackets. After this we set sail and enjoyed the views as we left Longyearbyen. We were then invited to the lounge to have welcome drinks with Captain Levakov, and to meet our Expedition Leader Rinie, accompanied by the expedition team. We had a buffet dinner in the evening where we met the restaurant team and then continued to enjoy the scenery before heading to bed.

When Rinie’s wake-up call sounds through the ship, we are already sailing through the mouth of Kongsfjorden, or Kings Bay in English. It is a very open fjord with amazing views, surrounded by mountains and glaciers in the distance. Not much time went by, and we hear Rinie again, this time announcing a pod of belugas that can be seen around the ship!

After a lovely breakfast, we meet in the lounge for some essential and mandatory briefings, only after which we will be allowed to leave the ship. AECO, the Association of Expedition Cruise Operators, of which Oceanwide Expedition is part of, has a set of basic rules to follow. Rules such as to not pick any flowers, keep a distance to all cultural remains, and be mindful and to avoid trampling on fragile vegetation.

Due to our location within polar bear habitat, and the fact that we could encounter them at any time, Rinie explained to us the potential dangers and what we should do on land in case we would meet an unexpected visitor.

During the briefings, Plancius went alongside in Ny Ålesund and we were now ready and prepared to discover the small settlement. It was established in 1916 by Kings Bay Kulkumpani to extract coal. After several accidents occurred in the mines in 1953 and 1962, this forced the closure, and the town has slowly shifted towards a science station. Today, eleven countries have permanent stations, but lots of researchers from other countries come to work here too. There are about forty people living all year round, and in summer the community can grow to about 180 people.

We set out for our day of discovery. Our Young Explorers met to write postcards from the northernmost settlement in the world, and we wonder who will make it home first: themselves or the post cards? We enjoy the educational history museum, observed some foxes, walked the quiet streets, and some even indulged in eating ice cream.

At 11:00, we met at the bust of Roald Amundsen, the great Norwegian explorer. He attempted to fly over the North Pole with two planes in 1925, however, it was an attempt that failed. Later, in 1926, he made a new attempt, this time with the airship Norge. For this adventure, a metal mooring mast of 35m hight was built and is still standing today, a relic of the past. They successfully left Ny Ålesund on the 11th of May 11 and made it to Teller, Alaska on the 14th of May, writing history as the first to fly over the North Pole.

After returning to the ship for a delicious lunch buffet, a mandatory briefing on polar bear country behavior and safe Zodiac operations prepared us for the afternoon's adventure.

Plancius has sailed across the fjord, and we are now anchored close to Blomstrandhalvøya where we will go ashore. The landing site is called Ny London (Ny = New) and has been established by a British company called Northern Exploration Company (short NEC) in 1911 to extract marble.

We split up in different groups, hikers, medium walkers and leisurely walkers and started discovering the island. Two cabins, old infrastructure and rusty machines, all of which are now protected cultural heritage items, tell the story of big dreams. The story of business ideas, followed by big investments, followed by big disappointment. The marble that seemed extremely promising, ended up being unusable and the extraction found an end already in 1920. All infrastructure was then just left in place, as it would have been costly to remove.

We set off on different hikes, observed flowers, birds and reindeer, and could see a pod of belugas out in the sea. We enjoy views out over the fjord and towards the mountains and saw glaciers in every valley throughout this impressive fjord.

Happy and tired after a few hours on land, we came back onboard Plancius for a short recap by Elizabeth about science in Ny Ålesund, and an introduction to macro photography, by Valeria, in hopes to get to discover the tiny world of plants tomorrow.

Filled with beautiful impressions, emotions, and images, we end our day in different ways - some end the day in the lounge, others outside enjoying the scenery while sailing out of Kongsfjorden and north bound. We are for sure all excited about the next day to come.

We were gently woken at 07:15 by Rinie’s cheerful voice announcing the start of the day. After breakfast, we arrived at our first destination and planned landing site, Jakobsenbukta. It is a bay on the eastern shore of Woodfjorden, in Andree Land. The bay is named after Kristian Jakobsen, b. 1864, captain on S/S "Kvedfjord" on one of the expeditions organized by Albert I of Monaco and led by Isachsen in Spitsbergen in 1906 and 1907.

Then we split into different hiking groups and right away we were met with some beautiful views of the lagoon. The long hikers set off for a scenic walk, spotting purple sandpipers and reindeers. The medium group got to see minke whales and reindeers, while the leisurely group was sharing the morning with of our lovely Young Explorers. We had the opportunity to discover the micro world of plants with Ursula and had an incredible time at the macro photography workshop with Valeria. The tiny world surprised us!

Back on board, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch as the ship cruised toward our next destination: Monacobreen. We bundled up in our warmest layers and made our way to the gangway for an exhilarating two-hour zodiac cruise in front of the magnificent Monaco Glacier. Named after Albert I of Monaco, this towering glacier spills into the fjord, where its icy cliffs create a vibrant feeding ground teeming with life. Hundreds of kittiwakes swooped and danced in the air, feasting in the nutrient-rich waters where the glacier's meltwater meets the sea. Ivory gulls were flying around, which was a real treat for anyone who loves birdwatching!

We had several amazing calvings – it was a fantastic display of nature!

Until 2015, the Monaco Glacier and its neighbour Seligerbreen shared a single ice front; today, they’ve retreated nearly two kilometres apart, revealing the rugged peak of Stortingspresidenten between them.

When we got back on the ship, we all met up in the lounge to have our daily recap. Julia told us all about the history of Albert I of Monaco, Ursula spoke about the Belugas whale, and Nathalie explained where the names in Svalbard came from.

After that, we gathered for a delicious three-course dinner as we sailed out of the fjord.

Though the sun never dipped below the horizon, we eventually turned in for the night, as the ship gently cruised an announcement was made, we were passing by Gråhuken, where we could see a hut. The hut’s claim for fame was a wintering in 1934-35, when Christiane Ritter from Austria spent a winter there together with her husband Hermann Ritter and the Norwegian hunter Karl Nikolaisen. Hermann had already a reputation as an experienced Arctic hunter, but it was the first (and last) wintering for Christiane, who later published her memories in a book that became a classic, titled “A Woman in the Polar Night” in English and “Kvinne i polarnatten“ in Norwegian.

We wrapped up a great day, and we're all excited to see what tomorrow brings, especially the pack ice!

In the early morning before breakfast, we encountered the first scattered ice floes as were on our way in search of the heavier pack ice to try to find the magnificent icon of the Arctic; the Polar Bear.

It did not take long before we saw a lot of seals; large groups of Harp Seals were spotted hauled out on ice floes. This species breeds on the ice in the White Sea in northern Russia and after the pubs are weaned, they move north into the Barents Sea as far north as the pack ice to feed. Scattered around the ice many Bearded Seals and Ringed Seals were also seen. It was clear that we entered a potential good hunting habitat for Polar Bears. We were convinced that it was only a matter of time.

After breakfast Nathalie gave us an introduction to sea ice, which was very appropriate timing as we just entered the ice pack.

Our captain skillfully navigated the Plancius through the heavy ice pack, but unfortunately, thick sea fog came down and soon we could barely see our hands before our eyes. Navigation of the sea ice in such a dense fog is like going blind folded into a maze garden. Nevertheless, we kept moving slowly hoping that we would bump into a bear at close range from the ship. All the guides were on the lookout all day long. The fog was very persistent most of the day, but binoculars were glued to our eyes in hopes of a wildlife encounter.

Since the fog continued, our expedition team decided that it was a good moment to present some educational talks. Julia gave us an introduction to Svalbard and Regis explained to us some of the biology and identification of sea birds.

As usual, we ended with our daily recap were short topics are covered, related to what we had seen and experienced that day.

It was a bit frustrating to find ourselves in such a good hunting area for Polar Bears and not be able to see anything. However, just before dinnertime it suddenly cleared up completely and we could see the ice all the way to the horizon. While dinner was served, we received the call from the bridge that Elizabeth spotted a bear not too far from the ship.

And there she was! A nice adult female, slowly and cautiously approaching us. She lifted her nose in the air every once in a while, to pick up the scent of the ship. There were still 105 main courses left on the table in the dining room, still to be eaten when the call came from the bridge. We forgot about dinner and rushed out to see the bear with our own eyes. Our captain navigated the Plancius carefully through the ice to get us closer without disturbing the bear. Captain Evgeny has more than 30 years of experience navigating through the ice and it showed. Slowly and silently, we crawled closer until we had a fantastic view of our first pack ice bear. Things got even better and then onwards to fantastic, as the bear showed an interest in the Plancius and it started making her way to us.

She was a very well fed female and most likely pregnant because an adult female is always with cubs or pregnant. We were wondering where she would go into her den to give birth this winter, but in our thoughts we wished her well and may she have healthy new born cubs.

We were all in awe while we snapped away with our cameras and smartphones. The bear walked half around the ship, almost under our bow, and rolled on her back a few times before she decided to move on. For the big lenses this was way too close, but none of us were “complaining” ;).

According to the guides such a close encounter is very rare and doesn’t occur every trip. We clearly were very lucky! The day ended on a highlight and everyone went to bed excited to see what the next day in the pack ice would bring!

We started the day with a remarkable wildlife encounter. Shortly after breakfast, we spotted a polar bear on a fresh kill — most likely a harp seal. The bear remained on the ice for some time, giving us an excellent view before bear decided to swim away looking for another chance to hunt for a seal. Our captain demonstrated his skills once again and we had another magical encounter with the true king of the arctic. With the bear now in the water, we decided to head off and search for more wildlife.

Unfortunately, low visibility and overcast conditions persisted throughout most of the day, limiting our ability to spot wildlife or navigate far into the pack. Despite the weather, the mood on board remained upbeat and educational.

At 11:00, Elizabeth gave an engaging lecture about whales of the Arctic, covering everything from bowheads to belugas. After lunch, Ursula followed with a presentation on pinnipeds, offering insight into the seals and walrus that inhabit this region.

Just after the second lecture, Ursula invited our Young Explorers to the dining room for a fun quiz and a round of Arctic-themed games — a welcomed break from the foggy views outside.

In the evening, after dinner, the skies finally began to clear. We were treated to a stunning view of the Seven Islands archipelago, bathed in soft Arctic light. The jagged peaks and scattered ice floes created a dramatic and peaceful end to the day.

This day was fantastic. The views on the ice, the bright sun and blue skies, it was a fantastic landscape and something many of us had never experienced before. Nothing but ice until the horizon and with a little bit of effort we could have walked all the way to the North Pole as we had reached 81’N which is only a rough 1,000km from the northernmost point in the world. We felt very remote and truly on top of the world and with more bear excitement, it was simply the perfect day.

This morning, we found ourselves approaching the eastern coast of Edgeøya under a soft, overcast sky. The waters were calm, offering a peaceful backdrop as Plancius dropped anchor off Sundneset. After breakfast, we embarked on a zodiac transfer to shore for our first excursion of the day. Sundneset is a beautiful, remote site known for its rolling tundra, Arctic vegetation, and occasional wildlife surprises. Upon landing, we split into hiking groups and began exploring the low hills and rocky terrain of this wild landscape.

But the real highlight came when we reached the shoreline. There, hauled out on a gravel beach, was a group of walruses—massive, blubbery animals with long ivory tusks and wrinkled pink-brown skin. They rested in a tight cluster, snorting and snuffling, occasionally lifting their heads to glance at us lazily. Observing them in such a quiet, respectful setting was a privilege, and a powerful reminder of the fragile ecosystems that thrive here in Svalbard’s high Arctic. Our guides ensured we kept a respectful distance while offering great insights into the biology and behavior of these iconic pinnipeds.

Back aboard Plancius, we enjoyed lunch as the ship continued its journey north along the east coast of Spitsbergen. In the afternoon, we reached one of the most awe-inspiring geological and wildlife sites in the region: Alkefjellet. These towering cliffs rise almost vertically from the sea and are home to tens of thousands of breeding Brünnich’s guillemots. Clad in black and white, these seabirds nest shoulder to shoulder on the narrow ledges, creating a constant chorus of calls, flapping wings, and feeding cries that fill the air.

We set out in zodiacs for a cruise along the base of the cliffs, dwarfed by the immense basalt walls streaked with mineral deposits and alive with bird activity. The sheer density of life was staggering. Guillemots launched themselves from the rock faces, dove into the water near our boats, and circled above in endless motion. Occasionally, we spotted Arctic foxes navigating the scree below the cliffs, hoping to scavenge fallen eggs or chicks. Glaucous gulls and kittiwakes added to the spectacle, while the dramatic geology of the cliffs themselves told a silent story of ancient volcanic forces and millennia of erosion.

It had been a day rich with contrasts: the quiet, grounded presence of walruses on the tundra, followed by the dizzying vertical chaos of one of the Arctic’s busiest bird colonies. Both experiences spoke to the richness and resilience of life in Svalbard—and reminded us of how fortunate we are to witness it from the unique perspective of an expedition vessel like Plancius.

This morning, we sailed through Freemansundet, a narrow passage that separates Spitsbergen from Barentsøya and Edgeøya. Our voyage took us to a place called Sundneset. Picturesque, gentle slopes covered in big patches of green, but we woke up to heavy fog and hopes that it would clear before the morning activity. Tension built up during breakfast, would we be able to land in Sundneset, as planed? Rinie, our expedition leader, reassured us during the morning briefing and off we boarded our zodiacs for a long and beautiful hike. The landscape in Barentsoya is, once again, quite different than in other parts of Svalbard. Those lowlands are quite green and the upper layer of permafrost, free of ice over the summer months, hosts a rich variety of vegetation. We saw some of the species we are now familiar with, Svalbard poppies, arctic campions, but also a rarest polar stoloniferous saxifrage. We made our way towards a canyon, when an arctic fox was spotted. We all got a clear view of him walking briskly on the tundra. His fur was interestingly white, probably already prepared for winter. Quite a few reindeer were grazing quietly providing some guests their closest encounter of the trip. A second fox appeared briefly before we reached the impressive canyon and back to the landing site before more fog rolled in.

Back on board, we were looking forward to leisurely sailing after lunch when an announcement was made from the bridge: Elizabeth had spotted another bear! We were able to follow his progression on a quite steep slope from the ship. This third bear encounter was lucky, as Rinie had a long, lively and informative presentation on polar bears planned for this afternoon. The young explorers met afterwards for a game animated by Nathalie, called ‘Mission North pole’” where four teams competed to be the first reach the pole.

The afternoon went by very quickly and we met in the lounge again for a recap. Valeria had an interesting presentation on the arctic wildlife, by displaying their sizes on a long rope running all along the lounge. Julia told us all about Otto Martin Torell, this Swedish glaciologist who proved that most of Northern Europe was covered by glaciers around 12 000 years ago. The presentations were concluded by Ursula who presented interesting facts on arctic foxes, just before dinner was served. Another successful day in Svalbard and time to head south, around the cape, and plan for a landing in Hornsund the next day.

During the night the Plancius had sailed around the Southern tip of Svalbard, changed course northwards and entered the Southernmost Fjord. At the time of the wakeup call we had almost reached our morning landing site at Gåshamna meaning Goosebay. The weather was Arctic-like: fully overcast with dense low clouds restricting our view of the surrounding steep mountains.

Following the procedure we knew so well by now the hikers were soon seen to walk along the beach heading strait to a cliff where a steep opening in the wall allowed them to climb onto a green terrace. It was nice for them to stretch their legs and gain some elevation although the clouds hindered to reach a higher lookout spot. At the beach the medium hikers walked first over to the whalebones to learn about historical whaling in the area. During their hike they reached to some remains of the Pomors, Russian seal hunters who had come here most probably even before the first Europeans.

Meanwhile the rest of us gathered around countless bones of right and bowhead whales spread out near the beach. We identified several huge skulls, curved lower jaws as well as various rips and smaller bones. They all are witnesses from the past dark times when large-scale whaling started in the early 17th century. European whalers followed the sealers and sailed to Svalbard to exploit the marine mammals. Although plentiful at that time they soon were so much reduced that whaling operations ceased in Svalbard.

We could make out varies humps in the ground where ovens were used to boil the blubber. This whale oil was highly valued in Europe as the demand for soap, candles and fuel for street candelabrums in the growing cities raised exponentially. It didn’t take long for this industry to bring various species close to or even to extinction.

Although a sad place the mosses and plants growing around the bones are surely symbols of hope. The rest of the time we used to explore the area either by walking continuously or roaming leisurely. The typical calls of kittiwakes nesting high up in the cliff served as a atmospheric background sound.

Over lunch time Plancius sailed deeper into the Hornsund to set anchor just outside of a fascinating bay. The almost vertical cliffs expanding over several kilometres and raising high into the sky embed the western bay named Burgerbukta. Although the clouds covered the mountain beaks most of the slopes were well visible. After a nice and relaxing break the guides picked us all up at the gangway. Luckily it was not too cold so that we could enjoy the beauty and mightiness. At first we found an iceberg with dark and light blue colouration created from almost transparent ice. Each zodiac spent quite some time to allow all guests to enjoy this piece of art and, of course, to capture it photographically. For two hours we slowly made our way into the bay weaving through brack ice, which hindered us from reaching the glacier front. Which was no loss as the scenery was impressive and very different from Monacobreen. Eventually we met Szymon’s zodiac at the entrance to get an introduction to a scientific instrument called Secchi disk.

Then it was time to leave as today’s program was not over. The crew had prepared a surprise: Barbecue and dancing on the back deck. It was so much fun to see all this, by now familiar faces laughing and chatting.

This morning, we woke up in Colesbukta, “Coal’s Bay,” under a grey sky, but with quite mild temperatures. As soon as we landed, we were greeted by bird sounds and the Arctic terns’ ballet. There is a strange, ghostly atmosphere in the now-abandoned Russian mining settlement.

Colesbukta, which started operating in 1913, was indeed the largest mining town ever in Svalbard, with over 1,000 inhabitants, before it was closed down in 1962. The settlement was used as a port where coal from the nearby Grumantbyen mine would be shipped.

The pleasant walk among the abandoned buildings and the surrounding rich tundra was much appreciated—especially as we encountered quite a few reindeer, along with more Arctic terns and a purple sandpiper.

Plancius then continued sailing during lunch, allowing us to disembark in Alkhornet. Located at the entrance of Isfjord, Alkhornet is an eerie area where a horn-shaped mountain overlooks a bright green tundra. Upon landing, we explored the beautiful surroundings, framed by majestic bays and mountains. The cliffs were covered by a cloud of noisy kittiwakes, and we had the opportunity to observe peaceful reindeer as well as an Arctic skua.

Part of the group continued exploring the area while some courageous swimmers took a polar plunge from the beach.

Back on board, we had just enough time to get ready for the Captain’s Cocktail. After a moving speech from our captain and expedition leader Rinie, the expedition team was introduced again, just before our young explorers were presented with certificates of Polar Perfection—along with a (white, of course) teddy bear.

Before our final dinner, a slideshow was presented by Ursula and Valeria, bringing back all the beautiful memories of this cruise. We had a final dinner together and got to meet some of the staff working behind the scenes in the hotel department.

We chatted into the evening enjoying drinks in the bar and savouring our last few hours on board the Plancius.

We woke up to the sound of Rinie’s voice for the final time. We left our luggage outside our rooms and had breakfast while the expedition staff took the bags down to the pier. We said goodbye to the dining room team and made our way to the gangway. Saying goodbye to the Plancius, our home for the last nine days, along with the new friends we made, was a sad and surreal moment for some. It is hard to explain all the sights we have seen over these last nine days. We’ve had the privilege of travelling to one of the most remote locations in the world, soaking up its beautiful scenery, and seeing some of its incredible inhabitants. Perhaps a quote from David Attenbourgh can help – ‘It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living’.