Fecha: |
06.07.2024 |
Posición: |
79°32.8’N / 012°34.6’E |
Viento: |
N 2 |
Clima: |
Overcast |
Temperatura del Aire: |
+2.2 |
We awoke to the sound of our expedition leader Phillip Schaudy calling us over the PA to awaken and seize the day. We prepared ourselves and headed to the dining room to enjoy a hearty breakfast. We could already see our first destination for the day through the windows of the dining room. The impressive Monacobreen could be seen, a vast glacier shrouded in morning fog standing at over 50 meters high.
After breakfast, we quickly dressed, getting ready for our first activity which would be a two-hour Zodiac cruise of the glacier and the surrounding smaller glaciers. Our expedition team prepared the Zodiacs, we loaded in and off we went to see what we could find. We cruised along the vast glacier front, enjoying all of the beautiful colors and shapes found within the ice. We saw many kittiwakes, Arctic terns, black guillemots and even some Arctic skuas feeding as we travelled along in the Zodiacs. Next thing there was a giant rumble then a crash! Part of the ice had calved falling into the sea making a huge splash and even a small wave. It was so exciting!
All too soon our two hours were up. We sped back across the harbor in our Zodiacs and arriving just in time before the first spots of rain fell. We all changed back into our ship clothes, and it was time for lunch. Whilst we ate, the ship repositioned to the location of our next activity, a lovely spot called Texas Bar.
After lunch, we prepared to make our first wet landing on the trip. Once again, we loaded into our Zodiacs, and our drivers delivered us safely to the shoreline. We removed our lifejackets and made our way up to the small cabin on the hillside. The cabin had its name marked proudly in large letters, and we could enter to see what life would be like inside. Apart from the many liquor bottles decorating the inside, it was bare inside. Once we had all arrived at the landing site, we were presented with three options for hiking: fast, medium, and leisurely. The fast group would head for the high ground, the medium group would go for some distance on the lower hills, and the leisurely group would enjoy the beach. Our expedition team pitched their hikes to us, and we divided ourselves into various levels before setting off.
All hikers were able to enjoy the wonderful flora of the area. So many flowers littered the ground, and as we climbed higher, we saw lots of bird life. Snow buntings, Arctic skuas, pink-footed geese, and many other birds roamed the area. Once we had explored the areas high and low, It was time to head back to the ship. We said goodbye to Texas Bar and loaded back into our zodiacs. On returning to the ship, we were invited up to the lounge for our recap. Our expedition team had prepared a series of short talks about what we saw today. They were so interesting, and straight afterward, we were called down to the dining room for a wonderful plated dinner.
We thought the day was over, but we were wrong. As soon as we finished our dinner, there was an announcement over the PA system; a polar bear had been spotted! It was swimming in the water past the ship. We gathered our gear and headed for the outer decks to catch a glimpse of this powerful animal swimming from island to island. It was a long way from the ship, but we got to see how fast he could swim and with such ease. As we started to leave the decks to call it a night, the PA system went off again. This time we had belugas on the port side. Once again, we lined the decks and we could see the white flashes of the backs of the belugas as they swam along the shoreline. It was the perfect end to a great expedition day.