This morning we found ourselves in Bellsund, a deep fjord system on the west coast of Spitsbergen Island. It was an overcast, but bright and warm day. After breakfast we were given the choice of either landing and exploring by foot or kayaking and discovering by sea – many people chose kayaking. It was a perfect day for kayaking as it was flat and calm.
Meanwhile on land, there were lots of reindeer to see. The younger ones were particularly intrigued by our strange, bright, bipedal presence and they came very close to inspect us. The rocky beach was also very interesting with flat rocks of sedimentary origin that were easy to walk on. Beachcombing here is a bit like ‘trick or treat’! The ‘treats’ include polished bone fragments, clamshells, whelk egg cases, a dried-up hermit crab in a whelk shell, logs from Siberia and wooden pieces of boats. Even some of the rocks draw the eye. The ‘tricks’ were the ever-present pieces of plastic and waste. We filled a couple of trash bags.
Back at the ship after the kayaking, the group were offered the chance to take part in the Polar Plunge! We lined up like lemmings going over a cliff and leaped into the freezing water with lots of different facial expressions on show! Rapture, despair, desperation, shock…. Luckily there’s a video that captured it all!
After lunch we anchored close to the mouth of Bellsund. Some of the group chose a walk ashore beneath vast talus slopes, which is home to thousands of nesting dovekies, also known as little auks. Energetic Arctic foxes explored the slope hoping for a meal and reindeer examined every square inch of ground for some tasty tidbit missed by their nearby brethren.
Guests who were looking for something a little more relaxing took a Zodiac cruise to explore the rocky shore, observing birds and reindeer from the comfort of a rubbery seat.
Before dinner we were moving again, sailing further into the fiord where we saw some fast ice with a mama polar bear and two cubs!
Oh, and the picture… well that would be my special treat for the day! The lichen are very colorful. They don’t do much but they look great.
