Hinlopen Strait
Our day began very early with a 4:30 am wake-up call to view more polar bears up close. We had spent most of the night with the ship nuzzled into a broad stretch of fast ice spanning the waters between Wilhelmøya Island and the larger island of Spitsbergen to the west. This area is appropriately known as Bjørnsundlet, or “Bear Sound,” and there were polar bears here. Five of them, to be precise, hunting ringed seals out on the ice. During the night one of the bears had made a successful kill, sharing the meal with its large cub. The other bears continued hunting; waiting patiently next to active breathing holes or occasionally attempting to stalk seals that were already hauled out on the ice. As we moved the ship during the early hours, two different bears approached closely to inspect us. We had spectacular views and photo opportunities right from the decks of the ship (top photo).
Eventually we headed out into the open waters of Hinlopen Strait, crossing the strait to reach Nordaustlandet (Northeast land), the second largest island in the Svalbard archipelago. After breakfast we landed on a beach at Torellneset to stretch our legs with a hike across the tundra. We found old whale bones up on the island’s slopes near the remnants of ancient beaches, both now lifted well above sea level since the retreat of the massive glaciers that once sat heavily upon this land. Back at the landing we were treated to views of massive walrus investigating the shoreline right next to the ship.
Nordaustlandet still holds a mighty ice sheet that covers most of the island. During the afternoon we traveled farther eastward following the southern edge of the ice sheet abutting the sea (bottom photo). The captain gave us a close-up view, even maneuvering the bow of the ship under one of the countless clear waterfalls that poured from the face of this seemingly endless glacial front. After dinner we encountered more small groups of walrus among ice floes scattered on a calm and mirrored sea. We continued our explorations to Svalbard’s farthest eastern reaches.
