The morning awaited us with sunshine and blue sky – and a still sleeping polar bear. We spent the morning in the ice – looking for awake bears – and just enjoyed the ice and the incredible surroundings!
And just before lunch we spotted a mother with two yearling cubs and they went straight for the M/S Stockholm. With the cubs in the front, the mother could not do anything else than following! And they came close to the ship, sniffing on the hall, vocalizing, checking out – what a show! It was a breathtaking moment.
After lunch, we went into the Zodiacs and made a landing on the pack ice – followed by a polar plunge surrounded by ice floes. Later on, Kerstin held a lecture about all the creatures living in the sea ice, from sea angels to sea devils so to say...
But the day was not finished: After dinner, we went for a ship cruise to Karl XII Island, and what did we find there? Two more polar bears! Fat and lazy they were lying on the green of the beautiful island. As we were all out on deck and looking, we suddenly discovered a third bear on a rock with snow on top! And it was not only one bear – it was a mother again with two cubs!
An extract of our trip ‘Exploring Svalbard with M/S Stockholm’.
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.