We have now spent ten fantastic days on board our charming ship, M/S Stockholm. Ten days in calm weather, filled with wonderful encounters with Svalbard's inhabitants, both on land and at sea. In Lomfjorden, we were treated with a very unusual encounter: seven polar bears in one sighting.
In Lomfjorden we were lucky enough to see seven polar bears in one place, which is very unusual! The Polar bears had all followed the smell of a whale carcass on the beach. When we arrived a female polar bear with two cubs was standing on the beach. Further in another female was breastfeeding her cub and up on a slope two adult bears were taking a nap.
More polar bears were found in other places but we could not find any whales. The very last day on our way back to Longyearbyen, just outside the mouth of Isfjorden we suddenly discovered blows at the horizon. All on deck!! Soon we were surrounded by fin whales, humpback whales, and minky whales! They were everywhere and a quick look at the eco sounder revealed large schools of small fish, which explained the abundance of whales in the area. After several wonderful hours with over a hundred whales, we headed into Isfjorden and Longyearbyen, but before reaching our destination we met a large group of beluga whales… What a trip!
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.
