Bråsvellbreen is one of my personal favorites to visit during a circumnavigate of Svalbard. A spectacle for the eyes. But on this trip it might have been extra special.
Bråsvellbreen is a part of the Austfonna ice sheet. The ice cliff here is so impressive it features in the opening credits of The Frozen Planet. The ice cap lies on the island of Nordaustlandet. It is where the massive ice cap of Austfonna, covering 58% of Nordaustlandet, meets the sea, and the third-largest ice cap in the World. It often surges forward, and at some points, it extends as far as 10 kilometers over the sea. We let the Zodiacs in the water on the southwest side of Bråsvellbreen. From this point, the ice wall continues 170 km to the Northeast. This is also the point where the largest waterfalls can often be found. But because this was the first time in the season that we would visit Bråsvellbreen, we had no idea yet whether there was enough melt water for the large waterfalls that thunder down from the top.
During this trip we had no fewer than 19 children on board, which created a nice, cheerful, and pleasant atmosphere on board. The teenagers came as a small group on board my zodiac. And the first question was can we sail fast? And where better to do this than between the ice blocks with a massive ice wall in the background? So, I went out with the teenagers, from one large ice block to another. Full throttle with the Teens enjoying on the bow of the zodiac. We had to circle each large block of ice and then rely on the pointing fingers of teenagers to the next block of ice.
Every now and then we saw a ringed seal stick its head above the water and we took the time to turn off the engine and wait until it surfaced again and curiously came to look at the Zodiac.
The waterfalls cascading from the top of the Bråsvellbreen ice wall were very impressive and definitely worth a photo opportunity. And when we took a moment near a large piece of ice, the questions came from the curious teenagers. One is even more thoroughly thought through than the other. And with such a different view of the world, I was also tested with these questions. What I can only appreciate myself: you have to continue to stimulate curiosity.
And although we were actually looking for walruses around the ice bergs, unfortunately, we didn't find any. But that's nature, not all animals are found in the same place every time. But luckily, we were all able to enjoy the fun we had racing from iceberg to iceberg on my zodiac. Because where better to race around massive blocks of ice than the ice blocks of Bråswellbreen.
Please note: Depending on the lens used for a photo or video shot an animal may appear to be closer than it is. We always follow strict wildlife guidelines to ensure that we do not cause any disturbance.
