Our 13 day expedition to circumnavigate Svalbard, on Quark Expeditions' Sea Adventurer, provided many outing opportunities. We made many landings for shoreline hikes and, when landings were not possible, we took zodiac cruises along the shoreline or in fjords. The shoreline zodiac cruises provided opportunities to view birds, sea mammals, icebergs, sea ice and visually intriguing geologic structures. Of the 13 days, we remained on board for only one full day when poor weather and/or sea conditions precluded zodiac outings.
On Friday, January 17, 2016, we sailed to a position at 80 degrees North (The North Pole is at 90 degrees North).
I've marked on the below map the areas we visted.
- Lilliehookfjordan - Landing
- July 14th Glacier - Zodiac Cruise
- Bockfjord - Landing
- Monacobreen - Zodiac Cruise
- Alkefjellet - Zodiac Cruise
- Wahlbergoya - Landing
- Barentsoya - Ship Cruise
- Von
Otterroya - Zodiac Cruise
- Andreeson - Zodiac Cruise
- Fakesvagen - Landing
- Palanderbukta - Zodiac Cruise
- Sundbukta - Zodiac Cruise
- Svingeldalen - Landing
- Isbjornhamna - Landing
- Burgerbukta - Zodiac Cruise
- Bourbonhamna - Landing
- Bellsund - Zodiac Cruise
- Alkhornet - Landing
- Isfjorden, Ship Cruise
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| Black dots mark visited areas |
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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© 2016, R. Ono
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Below are a few images of the animals and birds we viewed during the trip. Some of the most common bird sightings included the Northern Fulmar, Common Elder, Purple Sandpiper, Arctic Skua, Glaucous Gull, Black-Legged Kittiwake, Arctic Tern, Little Auk, Brunnichs Guillemot and Snow Bunting, The most common viewed mammals included the Atlantic Walrus, Bearded Seal, Ringed Seal, Reindeer and Arctic Fox. We were extremely lucky to have been able to view polar bears on several days and blue whales on our last evening on board.
Polar Bear and Tracking Collar
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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We never went hungry on this polar expedition. Besides tempting delicious meals, we were also offered daily afternoon tea, a chocolate dessert buffet on one night and an outdoor BBQ under sunny skies.
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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David "Woody" Wood, Expedition Leader
© 2016, R. Ono |
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