A Trip to the Top of the World: Svalbard, August 2019

[Alexander33]

The Storm

 

As much as I liked the flexible schedule we maintained, one that was controlled primarily by sightings or opportunities for sightings, there was a price to pay for our decision to take our chances on the polar bears. 

 

Instead of spending our time in a protected fjord, which had been the original plan, we now were going to have to cross a good stretch of the Arctic Ocean from the northwest coast of Nordaustlandet until we reached the vicinity of Wijdefjorden, the large fjord jutting down from the north central coast of Spitsbergen.

 

Here’s the map of our route one more time, to give you an idea of the distance over open ocean that we would have to cover, from the highest point of our route, west of Nordkapp, until we could make it into the fjords.

 

 

 

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a problem, but this wasn’t “ordinarily.”

 

The storm had arrived.

 

The alarm we’d set for breakfast went off at 7:30 AM.  I’d noticed while recumbent in bed that the ship was rocking back and forth more than usual, but when I attempted to climb out, I was immediately thrown against opposite side.  The seas were so rough, we could barely stand up, let alone walk.

 

This is one of those instances where all my worrying and constant planning actually paid off.  The month before, I’d been at my doctor’s for a routine check-up and, almost as an afterthought, mentioned that we might need some seasickness medications.  A week later, I had enough Scopolamine patches and Promethazine tablets to last me three months.

 

Thinking I was being ridiculous, I’d almost demurred from using the patches (you have to apply them in advance of any “event” – preferably a full day before – for them to be effective, and you place them on the skin between your lower earlobe and the hairline.  It looks like a round bandaid stuck on the back of your head.)  Self-consciously, I thought we’d be dead giveaways for first-time, ignorant, grossly overprepared tourists, but I had finally relented, thinking, “What the hell? I paid for them – might as well.”

 

Good move, as it turned out. 

 

Almost all the other guests were sick and confined to their cabins.  The few who did come up for breakfast took a few nibbles and then made a hasty retreat.

 

As the morning progressed, the waves became more intense, and the ship bucked and rolled.  The strap holding the refrigerator door closed snapped, the door careened open, and sodas and bottles of beer flew out and rolled all over the dining room.  One of the beer bottles broke and streamed its contents all over the carpet.  The few remaining guests who had managed to come up for breakfast soon succumbed, and by noon, it was just J., me, and the crew who remained upright.

 

J. found a deck of cards in the gallery, and with nothing else to do, we proceeded to play endless rounds of Gin Rummy, one of us always holding down the cards on the table to keep them from flying off onto the floor.  Even just sipping water required artful timing and delicate maneuvers in order to avoid the glass from being smashed up into your face at one of the ship’s jolts.

 

The captain peeked in and gave us a wan smile. 

 

“You must have the patches,” he said, referring to the Scopolamine.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good,” he nodded approvingly.  We were experiencing waves of up to 7 meters (23 feet), he explained, which required that we slow our speed down considerably.  It would be at least 6 more hours before things calmed down.  (For those of you concerned about sailing on a larger ship -- it does have its upsides).

 

Later in the afternoon, the National Geographic photographer appeared, looking a bit like death warmed over.

 

He stopped and stared at us in exasperation. 

 

“How?!” he exclaimed, gesticulating at us. 

 

He turned to the Swedish assistant, who was cleaning up broken glass in the kitchen, and widened his eyes. 

 

“Look at them!  They are up here playing cards!  How is it that the two Texans, of all the people, are the only ones not sick?” 

 

The assistant calmly turned around and looked at him with her icy stare.

 

“They have the patches,” she replied, evenly and matter-of-factly.

 

Patches, yes.  Photos, no.  A story to remember, definitely.

 

Don't leave home without them!

 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2019 by Alexander33

[janzin]

23 ft seas!! I sort of wish I hadn't read that. I will have to hope this is not a common event I am planning to bring patches but just for emergency use. It seems they worked for you even putting them on during the event. Otherwise would use Bonine ( Meclizine ) I think, if needed. 

 

Great storytelling!

 

Love the shots of the bears on the distant ice, so beautiful!! the light is fantastic. Like the shot with the Origo in it too, as it gives a sense of scale and distance. It might have been frustrating being so far away, but you came away with some wonderful photos. I'm really amazed that you got such good detail using the 500PF...I assume those were also with the TC.

 

[Alexander33]

@janzin

 

Ha!  No, not a common event, although the crew seemed to be taking it in stride (except the cook, who at one point broke out behind closed doors in a screaming fit of what I assume were Swedish epithets after we heard the clatter of what sounded like a stack of plates breaking in the kitchen).

 

To clarify on the patches, we applied the first one the night before our departure and wore them throughout the expedition. Each patch lasts 72 hours and then must be replaced with a new one, a routine we diligently kept up with. They would not have been effective if we had just put them on once the storm hit. Otherwise, we would have passed out all our spares to our fellow passengers. 

[janzin]

Ah okay then. I am not really sure I want to wear the patch full-time for the whole trip.    I guess I will just stick with the Bonine.

 

[Alexander33]

Yeah, we definitely didn’t want to wear them the whole trip, either. But.....!

 

Again, though, I think it was an out-of-the-ordinary situation, and we just fared well under an unusual set of circumstances. 

[Zubbie15]

Wow, 23 foot seas must be an experience! I'm curious about the hesitation to wear the patches, are there side effects? 

[janzin]

@Zubbie15oh yeah. Of course every drug has side effects but I don't like the idea of having a continuous infusion of something with effects that include: "

acute toxic psychosis, agitation, speech disorder, hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions " " Seizures and seizure-like activity " and " drowsiness, disorientation, and confusion"

 

https://www.rxlist.com/transderm-scop-drug.htm#warnings

 

that said, many people take it without issue. It is always suggested to try one before you travel to see how you react to it.

 

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by janzin

[shazdwn]

Along with the possible side effects the patches are banned in Australia - which makes me have second thoughts as to whether I would want to wear them for a whole trip (which is academic really as I can't get them anyway), especially as our trip will be for 23 days.  

[Alexander33]

@Zubbie15, @janzin, @shazdwn

 

Well, some might refer to me as "dizzy" on occasion , but, no, we had no negative side effects whatsoever.  Otherwise, we would have discontinued using them and I wouldn't be singing their praises now.  But -- obviously, talk to your doctor, as we did.  In the end, all I know is that we were the only passengers aside from the crew that didn't spend approximately 10 hours in their cabins seasick.  YMMV.

 

 

Return of the Calm

 

By that evening, the worst had passed, and we found overnight anchorage in a picturesque fjord harboring one of the larger glaciers on Spitsbergen.  Most of the guests were feeling back to normal, and we were alleviated of our cabin fever with a Zodiac excursion to explore the fjord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, pieces of the glacier calved off, making a tremendous splash into the water below. 

 

 

 

 

 

The photo above really doesn’t do it justice, because the glacier is so huge. You have to keep your distance.  I remember reading a few years ago about a woman whose group was too close and who was killed by an airborne piece of ice as it splintered from the glacier.

 

 

[Alexander33]

The next morning, we sailed into another fjord and explored another glacier.

 

Black-legged kittiwakes congregated in the water below the glacier, feeding on the frenzy of fish that were driven up by the commotion of falling ice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those of you who are familiar with me know that I, with only a sliver of guilt-ridden shame, am a completely shallow, fickle birder.  I’m drawn to bling, the bigger, gaudier and more colorful, the better, so the Arctic didn’t offer a lot of interest to me in that respect. 

 

There really were only two birds I particularly wanted to see, the Svalbard rock ptarmigan (which we did not see) and the ivory gull (which we did see, but only on that aforementioned “blue evening” where decent photos weren’t a possibility).

 

However, from time to time, I would try photographing some of the many birds we did see, although with a focus on ice and composition rather than the particular species at hand.

 

 

 

Black-legged Kittiwake

 

 

 

Common Guillemot

 

 

 

Herring Gull

 

 

 

 

 

(And if I messed up any of those identifications, I’m happy for anyone to correct the record).

 

We spent the rest of the day sailing along the northern shore of Spitsbrgen, finally making it to the northeast shores of Prins Karls Foreland, where we had “seen” our first polar bear (the sow and cubs who had been feeding on the whale carcass, but that had been napping amongst the rocks by the time we arrived). 

 

Would we have better luck this time around?

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by Alexander33

[Zubbie15]

Thanks @janzin and @Alexander33 for the info... Too think I was happy we were going somewhere cold so we wouldn't have to deal with questions of medicines next year. I guess we'll have to do some research.

 

Lovely bird photos, I had meant to ask if you had lots of bird viewing opportunities. While my wife and I aren't really birders, I know a bunch of our group are, including Janet and @jmharack. Hopefully they'll be happy with what we see! 

[janzin]

1 hour ago, Zubbie15 said:

I know a bunch of our group are, including Janet and @jmharack. Hopefully they'll be happy with what we see! 

 

@Zubbie15 I know at least half of our shipmates are very serious birders, so you may come out of the experience a birder yourself.  You never know

 

@Alexander33 the first bird you posted, which you didn't label, is an Arctic Skua. A lifer for me!!

Also, the ones you ID'd as Herring Gulls I am pretty sure are Glaucous Gulls. https://www.spitsbergen-svalbard.com/spitsbergen-information/wildlife/glaucous-gull.html

[janzin]

I meant to mention that the bird photos are fantastic! Beautiful light on that Kittiwake.

[The_Norwegian]

wow, great report! Never been to svalbard for some reason although it`s just the flight from Oslo in my case. Very nice sightings, great pictures! Did my fellow norwegians get seasick also? 

[TonyQ]

Great photos and writing. Beautiful birds and ice.

The 7m seas sound rather frightening (as well as sick inducing!)

[kittykat23uk]

Some nice sightings there and the glaciers are spectacular. From my perspective I hope to get some decent shots of phalaropes, ptarmigan, and King Eider amongst the other birds. 

[Atdahl]

Well, we're out!   My wife gets motion sickness in the car sometimes so any hint of rough seas would be a problem.  Our one and only boat trip was the Hurtigruten through the fjords of Norway but the water was like glass the whole trip since it's in protected waters.  23 foot swells is the opposite of glass .

 

Anyway, loving the report and it looks like I will have to live vicariously though others when it comes to a Svalbard trip.  So, I expect detailed TRs with lots of pictures 

 

I remember seeing glaciers calve in Alaska and unless you see it for yourself you can't really appreciate the sounds, size, and even waves caused by the ice.  It's a awesome phenomena to witness.

 

Peter, I am glad to know there are other "shallow" birders out there (love that term by the way).  I have tried to appreciate the finches and sparrows that come to our yard but in the end I can't be bothered.  I think the puffins would interest me but that appears to be about it.

 

Alan

[Alexander33]

9 hours ago, The_Norwegian said:

Never been to svalbard for some reason although it`s just the flight from Oslo in my case. 

 

@The_Norwegian

 

Then you must go!  It’s funny how so many of us neglect to visit worthy places in our own backyards.  I am as guilty as anyone.  I’ve traveled far afield, but I’ve not yet been to Alaska or many of the major national parks in the U.S., such as Yellowstone.  We really enjoyed our time in Oslo, by the way.

 

9 hours ago, The_Norwegian said:

Did my fellow norwegians get seasick also? 

 

I had to laugh at this question.  Now that I think of it, all of us were talking at dinner that night about the storm and our experiences except the Norwegians, who uniformly were stoically silent on the subject.

 

What I do know is this: They disappeared right after breakfast and were not seen in the gallery again until one of them, sporting a good case of bed head, made a brief appearance around mid-afternoon for something to drink.  I leave it you to evaluate that piece of circumstantial evidence. 

 

 

6 hours ago, kittykat23uk said:

From my perspective I hope to get some decent shots of phalaropes, ptarmigan, and King Eider amongst the other birds. 

 

@kittykat23uk, I believe your best chances for the phalaropes are in the environs of Longyearbyen, but we did not take the opportunity to look for them while we were there (and I wish we had, now). King eiders reputedly are rare in Svalbard.  I believe that there are winter birding tours to the northern coast of mainland Norway, where chances are better.  And yes on the ptarmigan -- I now have a goal to get one in white plumage on snow.

 

 

@Atdahl, oh, no, that would be a shame.  For what it’s worth, our circumstances were not the norm, and our smaller ship definitely felt the effects more than a larger ship would have.  That said, I’ve been seasick twice in my life, and it is not fun, so I can certainly understand why you might demur.  Maybe that just makes narrowing your choice to Churchill that much easier….

 

 

@Zubbie15, @janzin, @TonyQ, thank you for your encouraging comments and for continuing to follow along.  Thanks also to everyone for the "likes."

 

[Alexander33]

We arrived that evening at the spot where the polar sow and her two cubs had been feeding on a sperm whale carcass, and this time, they were out in the open.  The Zodiacs were lowered into the water after we had completed our dinner.

 

However, by now, the days were becoming noticeably shorter. As a result, because it was late and, also, heavily overcast.  The low light and movement of the Zodiacs, as well as the distance we needed to keep, made getting any photos in focus a challenge.

 

We tried, though, following the cubs as they made their way along the beach, until they reached their mother for a well-needed suckle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left them there, and headed back to the Malmö for our last night at sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Alexander33

[Alexander33]

The next morning, we took the Zodiacs ashore along the Billefjorden, about 20 miles from Longyearbyen, where we split into two groups.  I joined Jens to try for closer looks at the Svalbard reindeer, a distinct subspecies with shorter legs that reportedly helps them retain warmth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m told you often can get very close to these reindeer, but while the bucks allowed us a reasonably intimate approach, the does and fawns kept their distance.

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore, I spent the remainder of our time focusing on this large buck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was just beginning to shed the velvet on his impressive rack of antlers.  By the end of September, the antlers will be completely shorn of their velvet and sharp, dark brown coloration, and the mating season will commence.

 

Meanwhile, J. went with Svein to trek up to a nearby waterfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Alexander33

[Alexander33]

That evening, after an afternoon visit to the abandoned Russian mining town of Pyramiden, we docked in Longyearbyen, where several of the guests would disembark after dinner for a post-midnight flight to Oslo.  The rest of us would stay overnight and leave after breakfast the next morning.

 

We all gathered in front of the ship for a group photo, clasping one another around the shoulders and struggling to imagine that, just 9 days before, we had just been disparate strangers but were now all friends, bonded together by some experiences of a lifetime (and a storm few would forget anytime soon).

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Alexander33

[Atdahl]

Awesome report Peter.  The final bear photos are great and I love how you captured the environment along with them.  Same goes for the reindeer shots.  While the polar bears were the highlight I am sure, the scenery was certainly beautiful as well.

 

Thanks for sharing your journey.

 

Alan

[Alexander33]

On 11/30/2019 at 9:13 AM, Atravelynn said:

Your wildlife sightings on this trip are outstanding.  Did you get the impression that this was typical or were you the lucky ducks?

 

Final Thoughts

 

I was very pleased with how this trip turned out.  In the year between first booking it and our departure, I had some trepidation about it because I didn’t really have a lot of information on Arctic Wildlife Tours and because it was so different from anything I had done before, and I didn’t know what to expect.

In the end, a big sigh of relief and nothing but good memories. 

 

It’s hard to know for sure, but I would say our experience was pretty much average to slightly above average.  I was happy with the range of our sightings.  Lots of sea ice.  Polar bears on the ice.  Close-ups of polar bears.  But…..no close-ups of polar bears on the ice.  So – a goal for next time.

Svein mentioned that they usually see between 10-20 polar bears on each expedition.  Our official count was 15, but that includes those sleeping between the rocks and barely discernable, so I’m reporting ours as 11 decent sightings of individual polar bears. 

 

The Norwegian photographer who was acting as an “assistant guide” told me that on his first trip to Svalbard in June 2015, they saw no polar bears.  The kindly Norwegian gentleman had been to Svalbard twice before, but had never seen a mother with cub(s).  In our case, of the 11 sightings I’m counting, all but one were mothers and cubs.  I’ll hazard to guess that statistic is unusual.

 

The number of whales we saw reputedly was higher than usual.  We had five species: blue (multiple times), fin, bowhead, minke, and humpback – and, actually, six if you count the sperm whale that the polar bear sow and her cubs were feeding on.

 

Our one big miss was Arctic foxes, and this one hurt. 

 

The two Norwegian photographers spent the evening before our embarkation driving in the environs of Longyearbyen, where they spotted a small family of foxes.  The photos they got, including of two kits playing, one with a white coat and the other a blue morph, lit with the soft pinks, blues and yellows of the Arctic light, were phenomenal, truly some of the best I’ve ever seen, so that’s a real gap to me. (Compounding that loss was that they invited J. and me to join them for another attempt at the end of the trip, but it turned out no rental cars were available that day and, in any event, the weather was not cooperative, so we had to abandon the plan).

 

But, more than any other trip I’ve taken, the immense landscape, the mysterious light, and the almost eerie silence are what really stood out.  For the first time, when I think of this destination, I think of the surroundings and then of the wildlife within it, rather than the other way around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alexander33]

On 11/29/2019 at 11:40 PM, ice said:

as far as I understand, you took pictures from the main vessel, from the zodiacs and "on land" - but how many where? I'm obviously not asking for the exact numbers, but rather the spread. Most of them from the vessel, the zodiacs or on land? The reason I'm asking: I film and that's obviously much easier on land than on a moving and shaking zodiac,

 

The number of landings and Zodiac excursions that are offered on a tour like this is mostly dependent on actual sightings and weather conditions at the time. We had 3 landings, plus an additional 5 Zodiac excursions where we did not land. I’m not sure how that measures up in terms of what would be considered average or “typical.”

For filming, I do agree that you’d be best off on land.  But do keep in mind that you won’t be standing on land filming polar bears on one of these tours. As was explained to me, landings at polar bear sightings are strictly prohibited, and if a polar bear is encountered during a landing, visitors are required to retreat and leave immediately.

 

There are winter snowmobile tours that are offered, with access to polar bears, as I understand it. One of these might be more suitable for filming if that’s how you want to spend the majority of your time.

 

Speaking a bit more broadly, it’s difficult to assess what percentage of my photos were produced from the ship vs. Zodiac vs. land. I would say that I got the greatest variety (in terms of subject matter) from the ship, whereas I got a greater depth of intimate photos, but of fewer subjects, from the Zodiac and on land.

If it helps, I’ve boiled my favorites down to 10 photos, 7 of wildlife and 3 scenic, (all of which are seascapes).  Of the 7 wildlife shots, 2 were taken from the ship, 2 from the Zodiac, and 3 from land. All 3 of the seascapes were taken from the ship.
 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Alexander33

[Alexander33]

On 11/30/2019 at 1:05 AM, kittykat23uk said:

To add to @ice's question, were you able to get steady shots from the vessel? Was there much vibration from the engine? Worth taking a tripod and spotting scope? 

 

I do think the vibrations from the ship would limit the effectiveness of a tripod on deck. I did not even bring my tripod.  The advanced photographers on our tour did bring tripods, but they never used them — at least, not that I saw.

Humorous episode: One beautiful evening, two of the professional photographers (including the National Geographic photographer) came out toward the bow of the ship and set up their tripods. What were they doing? Promo shots for their websites. There they stood, in front dramatic ice floes and snow-capped mountains, smiling with their big gun lenses attached to their pro-level tripods.  However, as soon as the promo shots were concluded, the tripods were put away and they went back to hand-holding just like the rest of us.

I could possibly see where someone might want to use a tripod at a landing, especially at something like the walrus colony, where the subjects are slow-to-stationary. However, the landing where we saw the reindeer involved a brisk hike where a heavy tripod would likely have been quite cumbersome. 

Keep in mind that the emphasis of our tour (and our own interest) was wildlife. Some tours, especially those offered in the autumn, emphasize landscapes, and for those, the answer here might be completely different. Obviously, if the waterfall we saw on that second landing had been a major goal, a tripod would have been essential.
 

As to a spotting scope, that might not be a bad idea, provided you’re just using it for visuals and not trying to take photos through it. However, there might be some risk of it falling over and getting damaged if you leave it up and unattended on the ship deck.  I’d ask my operator for their advice.

 

It’s very unlikely you would need a scope for a landing.  We were able to get quite close to the walruses and the reindeer on our two landings, and a scope, in general, would have provided far too much reach.
 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Alexander33