Date: 6th July
Latitude & longitude: 79°16°N, 35.40°E
Wind speed: 3 knots
Wind direction: N
Barometer: 1025 hPa
Air temperature: 2°C
Sea temperature: 0.3°C
Total polar bear count: 7!
What a day we had today! We have been so fortunate to be waking up to beautiful sunny days in the Arctic, perfect for exploring outside! Each day we’ve had calm seas and clear skies, perfect conditions to brave the wild Arctic outdoors.
Our morning Zodiac cruise took us to Brasvellbreen and some absolutely amazing sights. Before us was the third largest ice cap in Europe, named Austfonna. We slowly cruised along, marvelling at its beauty. Turning a corner, we spotted some spectacular waterfalls cascading off the top of the ice cap, pouring thousands of litres of water into the sea below. We even saw a waterfall coming out of the middle of a glacier, something known as an internal glacial waterfall.
In the afternoon, we were planning on landing at Torellneset but once again we spotted a bear! We cruised along in our Zodiac, watching him from a safe distance, and soon he had lumbered off into the distance.
Closer to us, we saw many walrus hauled out on the shore and many more were in the water bobbing around and watching us with curiosity. The walrus are amazing creatures, surviving in temperatures up to -40°C with their bodies covered in blubber and their tusks that keep growing forever. These social animals are a sight to behold but beware, the smell of their belches after eating too many clams, can really pack a punch.
At night, it was a special celebration on board the Greg Mortimer. Perfect weather conditions for being outside meant that we were having a bbq for dinner out on the top deck! We were greeted with a traditional Norwegian sweet, warm, mulled drink called ‘Glogg’ and the spent the rest of the night enjoying a wonderful buffet bbq.
See you tomorrow and thanks for reading!
Love from the A TeamTanya, Gavin, Richard & Graeme
