OTL07-25, trip log, Around Spitsbergen, In the realm of polar bear & ice

Today will be remembered in a different way. We have traveled from different parts of the world, speaking different languages but bringing with us the hope of enjoying a few unforgettable days aboard m/v Ortelius.

The arrival on the ship was special because we did not board it at the dock but rather sailed to it in Zodiac boats, as if this were a good omen for what was come – a time to explore, looking for wildlife, landscapes, glaciers, and stories to tell in the future.

Just after 6:00 PM, the ship set sail, leaving Longyearbyen behind. Almost immediately we were called to receive safety instructions that would be very useful for the following days.

After the mandatory class and practice in front of the lifeboats, we deposited our lifejackets in our cabins and went to the bar where we received the official welcome from Captain Remmert and our Expedition Leader, Adam. Champagne or orange juice set the stage, as we enjoyed some delicacies prepared by the galley team!

Then we started getting to know each other, creating new friendships with people we had never seen before and with whom we would share great Arctic experiences.

The dinner pleasantly surprised us, organized by the Manager of the William Hotel. The restaurant looked magnificent, and the waiters attended with unique friendliness and charisma.

Just an hour later, Neptune, the mythological god and ruler of all seas, made his presence known, shaking the ship a little as if warning us that we were entering his domain. It was nothing we couldn't handle, but... we became aware of what life at sea is about. Knowing the planned activities for the next day, we chose to enjoy the scenery a bit longer, unpack, and then... we tested whether our bed was comfortable... and it certainly was!

Before we turned in, a voice announced that you will be called deck by deck to go to the Lecture Room on Deck 3 to collect our muck boots, ready to start early in the morning.

We went to rest, dreaming of where we would wake up tomorrow, what landscapes would accumulate in our retinas, and what discoveries were waiting for us in the Arctic!

This morning ,we woke to bright Arctic light and the stillness of Ny-Ålesund, one of the northernmost settlements in the world. Before disembarking Ortelius, we attended mandatory briefings, including the AECO regulations, and the Zodiac briefing.

Once the briefings were complete, we made our way down the gangway and wandered among colorful wooden buildings, scientific stations, and wide-open surroundings. The crisp air and profound remoteness were sharp reminders of where we were.

Nature did not disappoint! Reindeer grazed near the edges of town, Arctic terns called overhead, and a lucky few spotted Arctic foxes, one of which was being dive bombed by the terns. We also observed barnacle geese with goslings waddling in tow—a heartwarming sight in this stark landscape.

We visited the small but rich museum and the local shop stocked with postcards, Arctic trinkets, and reminders of human resilience in this far-off place.

Marcelo and Jodi led us on a walk to the historic airship mast, where Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile launched their daring flights to the North Pole aboard the airships Norge and Italia. Standing there, with the wind sweeping across the tundra and the ghosts of polar explorers in mind, it was easy to feel the weight of history.

After a well-earned lunch break on board, we set out again, this time to Ny-London. Split into hiking groups, we crossed the tundra led by our expedition guides, enjoying sweeping views of the bay, beautiful wildflowers in bloom including the well camouflaged polar campion. Birdlife was abundant, with sightings of long-tailed skuas, purple sandpipers, snow buntings and a distant glimpse of the endemic Svalbard reindeer.

The day ended with our evening recap, Adam outlined the plans for the following day and Marcelo introduced us to the history of Svalbard, followed by a short talk from Emily explaining just how terrific terns are, and how far they travel on their epic annual migrations.

It was then time for dinner, after which we were able to relax in the lounge with a drink and share stories from an unforgettable first full day!

The remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard delivered another day of raw, unforgettable beauty as we made our way to the abandoned trapper’s hut at Texas Bar—a rustic outpost tucked along the northern coast of Liefdefjorden. Under a crisp blue sky, the group divided into long, medium and shore groups of hikers. Summer had coaxed out an astonishing display of wildflowers across the tundra. Delicate blooms of woolly lousewort, moss campion, yellow saxifrage, Arctic mouse-ear, and mountain avens painted the otherwise rugged landscape in bursts of soft pink, white, and gold.

The adventurous among the group took part in a true Arctic rite of passage: a polar plunge into the frigid waters. Icy gasps and quick sprints back to shore followed, but the exhilaration was unmistakable—a chilling thrill framed by Svalbard’s stark beauty.

In the afternoon, the group ventured by Zodiac to Monacobreen, one of Svalbard’s most active tidewater glaciers. Towering blue ice met the sea in a dramatic wall, and the glacier was alive with sound—creaks, cracks, and the thunderous boom of calving ice breaking free into the fjord. Wildlife abounded; A bearded seal lounged lazily on a floe while black guillemots, sleek with white wing patches, were plentiful, and observers were treated to the sight of young fledglings still with downy fluff dotting the icy waters.

At the glacier front, thousands of Kittiwakes wheeled and cried overhead, drawn by nutrient-rich waters churned up by the melting ice. Then came the unexpected—a harbour porpoise gliding briefly through the fjord’s icy water, followed shortly after by a young ringed seal, curious about the Zodiacs. The seal spent time swimming and diving next to us for some time. Dotted around the head of the fjord, three striking ivory gulls made a rare appearance, their pure white plumage nearly indistinguishable from the glacier behind them. Back onboard the ship and sailing out of Liefdefjorden, a minke whale surfaced passing silently and gracefully across the bow before vanishing again into the deep.

In the late evening the cetacean sightings continued with a feeding group of sei whales accompanied by a minke whale while fulmars fed on the surface, scavenging scraps.

It was a day that captured the spirit of Svalbard—stark, teeming with life, and humbling in its grandeur.  

Today, Ortelius reaches the sea ice area where we will spend the day looking for wildlife sightings. This morning everyone can take their time and enjoy breakfast after the intensive outdoor activities of the previous days. Sea The expedition team also finally had the opportunity to be able to bring a lot of informative lectures to share their knowledge with us. The visibility at sea has been good and bad at times and the deck crew on the bridge and the expedition team have been searching non-stop for signs of life along the ice area with binoculars.

Lectures on sea ice, polar bears and the birds of Svalbard took place in the bar, and in between the lectures people did not fail to admire the different shapes of the sea ice and the seals that appeared from time to time on the surface. On two occasions, we saw polar bear tracks from a long way off but when the ship reversed course the fog suddenly appeared and after several searches in different directions we lost sight of them.

Finally, in the afternoon, a polar bear suddenly appeared behind a snow hummock in the direction of the ship's port aft deck. This curious young bear was walking back and forth around us – amazing!

People were busy running around on the outer decks, cherishing their encounter with the bear as much as possible. Finally, as dinner approached, Ortelius slowly reversed course back south, and on this day we also reached the most northerly position on this voyage ----82 degrees and five minutes!

This morning, our plan was to land at Torrelneset, a site known for its walrus haul-outs. However, as we approached, we spotted two polar bears ashore—a clear sign that today’s plans would need adjusting. We decided to cancel the landing and shift to a Zodiac cruise, allowing us to observe the bears from a safe distance.

From the bridge, we noted the unusual absence of walrus on the beach, which raised our suspicions. Torrelneset is typically a reliable spot for walrus sightings, and their absence hinted that something was off. The presence of polar bears explained it—predators in the area often drive the walrus into the water. Sure enough, we later spotted a few walrus swimming offshore, likely displaced by the bears’ presence. It was a calm and beautiful morning, with mirror-like seas and a quiet tension in the air.

In the afternoon, we cruised to Alkefjellet, one of the most dramatic bird cliffs in Svalbard. For the first time in a long while, the weather cleared, and the cliffs revealed themselves from a mile away, no fog, just sharp basalt faces teeming with life. We spent the afternoon immersed in the sounds and sights of thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots nesting on the narrow ledges.

As the cruise drew to a close, we spotted an Arctic fox patrolling the shoreline, searching for unattended eggs. Just moments before, we had witnessed a glaucous gull stealing an egg, a stark reminder of how unforgiving life is in the High Arctic. Survival here is raw and relentless, and today, we saw it in action.

This morning began bright and beautiful yet again. Our luck with the weather has been spectacular thus far. Little did we know this morning, however, that the warm sunshine and calm winds would be only the beginnings of the Arctic magic that would envelope us for the entire day.

After a hearty breakfast, we landed at the beach of Sundneset with its lush, vegetation-filled plains and valleys. The tundra was springy under our feet, and tiny flowers bloomed all around us. Reindeer fur and bleached bones and antlers were scattered across the landscape; this was obviously a rich feeding ground for polar bears and Arctic foxes.

We split into two groups for a bit of hiking. The long hikers set off first, making good time to a lake north of the landing site. Along the way, we were greeted by many lively reindeer happily feasting on the foliage, as well as two foxes. So that we didn’t forget where we were, the ground gave us a taste of Arctic bog: many of us sank to our knees in sucking mud. It was a bit of a challenge to extract ourselves, but we managed; this, we remembered, is adventure cruising, after all.

The medium hikers set off in a different direction, reaching a lake with barnacle geese, long-tailed ducks, and common eiders bobbing around. A pair of reindeer could be seen at a distance, but as we made our way to them, we were delighted to have our attention diverted by an Arctic fox. Then another. And yet a third! This last fox was an exceptionally curious animal, nearing to within ten meters of us, giving us all a fabulous look at its still thick fur and coal black eyes.

Then came the call over the radio: “We’re going to evacuate.” We all had our time with foxes interrupted by the appearance of a polar bear. It was time to leave, and with haste. Closing our ranks and putting away our cameras, we made a safe retreat to the landing site and back to the ship – as a second bear was spotted. What a morning!

Our delicious lunch was abuzz with excited chatter about foxes, polar bears, and evacuations, plus a few stuck-in-the-mud stories.

After lunch we headed toward Diskobukta, our intended next destination. But again the Arctic had a different plan for us. As we neared Kapp Lee, we spotted a mother polar bear and her cub under a low ridge. Just around the point from that were a multitude of large male walruses hauled out. How could we not stop for that?

Into the zodiacs we hopped for perhaps the best outing of the trip so far. We watched the bears bathe in the ocean, wrestle and play fight, then lie down and get comfortable. After a while, we made our way over to the walruses, where we watched several have lunch, others tussle in the water, and most rest on shore. Finally, what every single one of us was hoping for actually happened: the bears came over the ridge to the walruses.

They sidled up close, where they were met with a wall of watchful walruses, tusks presented. A few walruses began to stampede, but they did not go far. An epic stare-off occurred between the cub and several dozen much larger walruses. Eventually the cub backed down and rejoined its mother a few meters away.

The mother bear poked with her nose at a hut, pawed at a few things on the ground, visited the walruses, then decided that she would rather take a nap. She sprawled out and made herself quite comfortable. The cub soon followed, and peace was restored between species.

The Arctic, however, was not yet finished bestowing her gifts. Three walruses swam out to our Zodiacs, very curious indeed about who or what we were. They approached one Zodiac one after another, surprising us with how far they could lift themselves out of the water. Eventually our time ran out and we had to return to the ship, but few of us actually wanted to leave. This was an incredible outing that will be remembered for years to come.

On board, we learned more about reindeer from Emily, in particular how reindeer can warm the outside air up to 70⁰ C before it hits their lungs, and that all of Santa’s reindeer are likely female. Hazel imparted a wealth of knowledge about walruses that explained some of the behavior we had just seen. All of this was followed by a fantastic dinner during which the question was asked more than once: How can we top this?

Today was, in a word, EPIC.

We woke up listening to the warm voice of the expedition leader Adam who invited us to prepare to visit different places and thus continue discovering the wildlife that would surround us. Burgerbukta is located at the bottom of Hornsund Bay, surrounded by majestic cliffs of bare rock.

Our Zodiac ride was unmatched. We saw waterfalls, some of them with reddish colors, possibly because they contained iron ore.

We found permanent contrasts of colors, green of the vegetation, bluish tones of the icebergs, white of the snow, black of the rock in the mountains.

We felt the cold wind coming down from the glacier, but our internal heat produced by emotions made it go unnoticed.

We also observed different types of birds, which were seen enjoying complete freedom. A seal appeared briefly when we were close to the glacier.

After a well-deserved lunch to recharge our batteries, we prepared for the next adventure: Gåshamna. Today it looks deserted but it used to be a whaling station back in the 17th century.

As usual, the different groups began to walk in different directions, demonstrating that the physical activities carried out in the previous days had significantly improved aerobic capacity and increasingly the routes with steep and rocky climbs were successfully overcome. The photos taken from those vantage points were worth it.

Near the place where the boats were waiting for us to return to the ship, we found a staggering number of enormous whale bones scattered on a green blanket of moss that today gives it a new meaning, as if wanting to hide the traces of a past that will never return.

We arrived at the boat a little tired, but the Captain had a pleasant surprise prepared for us. Today’s dinner would be on the helicopter flight deck, the sky would be our ceiling and mountains and glaciers would be the walls! The menu consisted of a BBQ, accompanied by drinks that helped quench our thirst and enhance our temperature.

There was no lack of music or a select group of dancers who showed their intact skills to follow the rhythm of the songs that made the moment happy.

All this is more than a five-star restaurant, isn't it?

From the ship, we saw a very pretty cabin that still showed its strength.

Bamsebu was an old whaling station but dedicated especially to hunting beluga whales. The crude images of different accumulations of bones appear before our eyes, possibly following the order that the whalers wanted to assign them: number of whales or the catches made by each of the whaling boats that could still be seen showing their keel to the sky although without the splendor of the past.

There are approximately 500 beluga skeletons, from which the fat and skin were extracted. They were hunted with harpoons but also with nets that belugas have the habit of swimming in groups. The struggle in the 1930s was obviously unequal. But we must also remember the two women who wintered from 2019 to 2021 fighting to raise awareness of the effects of climate change and the deterioration that human activity can cause to the environment. A shout out to Hilde Fålun Strøm and Sunniva Sorby for their initiative. (Visit Hearts in the ice).

We saw reindeer and were able to find about twenty different flowers, mosses and lichens scattered nearby.

We returned to the ship, and after lunch we prepared to visit Vårsolbukta, a wide bay in Bellsund known for its flat beaches, vegetation and rich birdlife. Once again the different groups took their paths and traveled through this plateau guarded by mountains.

Ernest Mansfield had searched for gold and platinum in these regions but without much success. Three of its houses built between 1908 and 1910 remain standing, ignoring the passage of time. We saw about forty reindeer, some of them with their young, walking peacefully on the plain.

We also found the remains of some small wagons that seemed to have been used on rails to transport the minerals extracted from there

Adam's voice announced to us that we were about to arrive at our destination and that a group of walruses had already been seen resting on Poolepynten beach.

In a few minutes the expedition guides headed to the coast and verified that there were no polar bears in sight, which guaranteed a successful excursion.

The beach is a place of scientific study on marine pollution so it is not possible to remove the garbage that can be found there, especially plastics, bottles and nylon ropes.

About 20 walruses, all together, one leaning on the other, ignored us. Some of them chose to take a swim and approach the beach again, perhaps with the intention of saying goodbye until the next visit, which we hope will be soon!

Although the visit was shorter than usual, we were able to quietly observe the walruses. After lunch we arrived at Alkhornet, where we enjoyed a great sunny day. Marcelo led the group of long hikers, who proved to be in excellent athletic condition. We observed countless birds in the mountains, more than 50 reindeer in the plain, but finally when we were returning to the beach where the Zodiacs were, we were able to see a couple of foxes that still sported their summer fur.

The fox that accompanied us during part of our walk captured a bird that it carried in its teeth. Every now and then the fox would stop and try a bite.

Back on the ship, we met for the captain's farewell cocktail. We could see how everyone had chosen to dress more elegantly. After the final recommendations that Adam gave us, the Captain offered a toast hoping that we would meet again on board in the not-too-distant future, either in these northern latitudes or there to explore Antarctica.

Kana prepared a very emotional presentation containing photos and videos taken during this incredible trip. During dinner, we became aware that the trip would end soon. Many guests exchanged their details to stay in touch. We were all very grateful to the onboard team, applauding them and showing their affection.

We are now moored in Longyearbyen again and disembark with suitcases full of indelible memories. We will share our adventures, experiences, photos and videos, but above all we will share our enthusiasm for passion for wildlife, animals, plants, oceans, glaciers and also the air we breathe. We will return home, to our jobs, to our routines but we will no longer be the same as before. We have seen a lot things but we still have more to see.

Ortelius was our home for several days and now we are left with our hearts full of emotions and desires to share our experiences. Today it was the Arctic, but we will surely find other places where we can experience this closeness to nature and history.

Richard Bach wrote in his book "Illusions" that goodbyes are necessary for the next reunion in the future. Perhaps this thought can serve as a consolation, and we can wait patiently and happily for the next opportunity to be together again.

Total distance sailed on our voyage: 1273 nautical miles

Most northern point sailed: 82°05.050 N, 022°42.’363 E

On behalf of Oceanwide Expeditions, Captain Remmert Koster, Expedition Leader Adam Burke, Hotel Manager William Barnes and all the crew and staff of M/V Ortelius, it has been a great pleasure and a privilege travelling with you. Your Oceanwide Expeditions Team