Date: 2nd July

Latitude & longitude: 79.52°N, 11.33°E
Wind speed: 23.8 knots
Wind direction: SW
Barometer:  1028 hPa
Air temperature: 5°C
Sea temperature: 0.3°C

It’s so early into our Arctic Adventure and we’ve already seen our first polar bear!!!

In the morning, our original plans were to head out on the Zodiac to an area called Ytre Norskoya and do some hikes there on the land, however at the last moment those plans had to be cancelled as there had been a polar bear sighting!

If ever there is a sighting of a polar bear, it is too dangerous to do a landing because these bears can travel exceptionally fast — up to 60km/hr on land and 15km/hr in the water.

So the new plan was to cruise around in the Zodiac and watch the bear from afar.

After lunch, we were back on the Zodiac, cruising through to view some palatial glaciers where we learned about calving — the birth of an iceberg. We recorded some Upschool.co educational lessons for the children in front of the ice, and then again in front of the mountains filled with bright orange lychen, which is created through the symbiosis of algae and fungi.

Here, we also managed to spot a couple of Arctic foxes and some Arctic terns defending their nests.

Each night after dinner, we venture to the top deck for a well-deserved dip in the jacuzzi. The contrast between the icy cold air and the steaming hot water, along with the palatial glacial scenery, is just to die for!

We feel privileged to be here and hope to do justice to the educational program we’re bringing back home with us for Upschool.co.

See you tomorrow and thanks for reading!

Love from the A Team
Tanya, Gavin, Richard & Graeme