South Spitsbergen Explorer - Bear Island - Diving

You arrive in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen’s main town. Explore the parish church, Svalbard Museum, or stroll the streets. In the early evening, the ship sails out of Isfjorden, and you may see your first minke whale.

You start the day cruising the side fjords of Hornsund in southern Spitsbergen, surrounded by towering mountains. Hornsundtind rises to 1,431 meters (4,695 feet), and Bautaen reflects why early Dutch explorers named the island Spitsbergen, meaning “pointed mountains.” The area has 14 glaciers, and you may see seals or polar bears. Sofiakammen cliffs host thousands of nesting kittiwakes and little auks. In the evening, you might spot harp seals on ice floes at Sorkapp.

Today, you venture along the west side of Bear Island, heading toward the southeast- an excellent place for viewing large seabird colonies. The nearby nesting cliffs are part of an extensive nature reserve where shore landings are not permitted. Afterward, you sail northeast into Sörhamna, where you can get closer to the seabird cliffs. Chiefly, Brünnichs guillemots, kittiwakes, and fulmars nest here.

Just northeast of this is Revdalen, where, at a safe distance, you can watch breeding great skuas, large seabirds known to be fiercely territorial. From there, you may climb some way to the bird mountain at the coast. In Kvalrossbukta, you land at the remains of a whaling station from the early part of the previous century. As you continue north along the east side of Bear Island, you look for other good landing and activity spots.

Sailing northward, you may still encounter sea ice, where you have a good chance of spotting polar bears as well as various species of whales, seals, and seabirds. Sailing along the western side of the Tusenoyane, you may see polar bears, walruses, and belugas.

You land at a beach dotted with bones of prehistoric bowhead whales and walk to a canyon with over 10,000 pairs of breeding kittiwakes on both sides, and often Arctic foxes preying on eggs, and sometimes a polar bear. The valley south of the colony is inviting for long walks.

You land at the east coast of Spitsbergen at the mouth of Skjolddalen river, where ivory gulls gather to breed. Then, a relaxed walk takes you to the summit of Fleinskallen (about 300 m high), with some tens of breeding Ivory Gulls spread along the ridges. Here it pays to keep one eye on the ground at your feet - the area is very rich in fossils, such as belemnites.

The area around Boltodden is famous for its preserved dinosaur fossil tracks. Behind these are the steep bird mountains of Kvalvaagen, home to many thousands of Brünnich’s Guillemots and other seabirds. At Kvalbreen, you have a good opportunity for a Zodiac cruise and seal observations. Polar bears are not uncommon in this area, so keeping your camera handy here is a must.

Bellsund is one of the largest fjord systems in Svalbard. Here, there are excellent opportunities to enjoy both history and wildlife. A possibility is Ahlstrandhalvøya, at the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden, where piles of beluga skeletons can be found, remains of poorly managed 19th-century whaling. Thankfully, belugas were not hunted to extinction, and you have a good chance of encountering a pod. Alternatively, while cruising the side fjords of Bellsund, you can explore the tundra where reindeer like to feed, as well as rock slopes where little auks breed, near Vaarsolbukta.

Even the most remarkable journeys must eventually come to an end. You disembark today in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you  wherever the next adventure lies. Here, you can further explore the town or prepare for your onward flight.