When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.
A.A. Milne, quoted in the Ocean Explorer’s daily programme
Today was definitely a day for ‘big boots’ * and also definitely a day for adventure. But then, so was every day on our expedition cruise!
I promised in my previous Arctic post to share a day by day account of the places we visited and sights we saw. For the time being I’m skipping over our boarding day as I plan to cover that in a future post about the small town of Longyearbyen, the unofficial ‘capital’ of Svalbard. So I’m starting with our first full day at sea, which set the pattern for the next week and a half.
Morning ship cruise: St. Jonsfjorden
The morning brought low clouds in places and some rain. As we finished breakfast we noticed that the ship started to change direction. An announcement came over the PA that beluga whales had been spotted so we hurried back to our cabin to get into our parkas and then up to the observation deck. There was a strong wind and some rain lashing down so not ideal for having cameras out. Also, the whales were at some distance so it was very hard to get a photo, but I managed something!
Beluga whale sighting
After a while we started to progress further into the fjord, St. Jonsfjorden. We moored near the glacier, Osbornebreen, in Osbornebukta (Osborne Bay), where we were able to get some great shots of the landscape from our balcony.
There was a mandatory briefing midmorning to explain about the zodiac and shore landing excursions. The expedition leader Ryan was great at these briefings, combining a bit of humour with a lot of useful information. We were divided into four groups for zodiac boarding, so as not to crowd the mud room area. Chris and I were ‘Kittiwakes’, scheduled to leave in the second group today (the others were ‘Arctic Foxes’, ‘Reindeer’ and ‘Walruses’).
Afternoon zodiac cruise in Osbornebukta
Osbornebukta is named after Sir William Osborne, a British explorer and philanthropist. Located in St. Jonsfjorden, the highlight of Osbornebukta (bukta = bay) is the stunning glacier of a similar name, Osbornebreen (breen = glacier).
From the Ocean Explorer’s daily programme
In the afternoon we had our first zodiac excursion, with our guide Nicola. She took us close to the glacier which excitingly calved several times! We also saw lots of small icebergs, some crystal clear and some rather dark, while others were deep blue.
In the clearer pieces we could easily see the bubbles of air, trapped centuries ago as snow compacted in the glacier. And we could hear the popping sounds pop as the ice was slowly melting and releasing that fresh pre Industrial Revolution air into our more polluted modern world. You should be able to hear it too in my short video clip.
The only wildlife sightings here were some Arctic terns flying overhead and some glaucous gulls, both of which I failed to capture (but see below). Anyway, the scenery was more than enough to keep me captivated and my camera very busy!
Evening fun
In the evening there was the captain’s welcome drinks, a pretty informal affair compared to more conventional cruises I believe. However, many of us made the effort to dress a little smarter, there was bubbly to mark the occasion, and all the expedition team and senior crew members introduced themselves.
This was intended to flow straight into Ryan’s daily briefing, but he was interrupted by the appearance of more belugas. We hurried back to our cabin to get our cameras, as did most people, and tried again to get photos, this time from our balcony. Again they were rather too far off, although not quite so far as this morning’s sighting.
Beluga whales
Returning to the briefing we heard more about the plans for tomorrow, with another zodiac ride and our first shore excursion. Also the weather forecast: temperatures of 16 or 17 degrees!
We went to a talk by the on-board photographer, Kris, entitled ‘Photography: A Photographer’s Way of Noticing More’. I especially liked seeing the examples he used from his own Arctic portfolio.
Side note: after the trip we were sent a photo journal of the trip, with many of the photos Kris took during the voyage. I have his permission to share any I want to, so here is one he took on this day.
Later that night
We were just talking about having a slightly earlier night, as it was to be a prompt start in the morning, when there was an announcement over the PA that some large whales had been spotted and the ship was turning to get closer. So of course we grabbed our parkas and headed up to the observation deck with our cameras. It was still lovely and sunny so we stayed quite a while and managed to get some OK shots. I learned later that these were sei whales, a new species to us.
Sei whales
* Big ‘muck boots’ were provided on loan for the duration of our trip and were compulsory wear for all zodiac outings and landings on shore.
I visited Svalbard in August 2025; this is an account of our adventures on Tuesday, August 5th
47 Comments
maristravels
The zodiac shots are my favourites but really, who could fault any of them. Congratulations on a great photoshoot of the whole trip, About 12 years ago I had booked with a friend to go to Svalbard with Hurtigruten, but she pulled out before we had to pay the final (thankfully) as she had relatives in Norway who told her that Svarl is one place where you can’t get medical assistance quickly as there is no place for a helicopter to land and one has to be conveyed to ?? I forget where. She had a heart problem, not a great one, but enough to frighten her as the cold could have had a bad effect as well. My mobility was OK in those days and I was happy to go and stay onboard just to experience the ice wilderness, but sadly I missed that.
Sarah Wilkie
Oh what a shame you missed out on that trip! I don’t know about Hurtigruten but the Quark ships (Ocean Explorer and Ultramarine) both have a place for a helicopter to land and the cost of transfer to a medical facility is included in the price of the cruise – that would have given your friend the necessary peace of mind I reckon.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Amazing, Sarah! I love your description of the ice melting and long-trapped air popping into the 21st century world. Cool whales!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Terri 😀 Yes, both whales and those ice facts were really cool (literally!)
Annie Berger
I hadn’t heard of sei whales either, Sarah, until we visited the Whale Museum in Húsavík. Great shots from the zodiac.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 😊 I’m pleased you like those zodiac shots as it was quite challenging holding the camera still with the movement of the water!
The Flask Half Full
I think the lesson here so far is: always carry your camera with you! Love that your ship will stop and/or change course to accommodate photos. But I wouldn’t want to miss anything running back to my cabin to get my gear.
The blue tones in the ice are just marvelous. I would be hypnotized by it all. Cheers!
Sarah Wilkie
I did carry my camera a lot of the time. But tbh we usually needed to go back for our thick parkas, and we never missed any wildlife as a result – the animals always seemed to hang around for some time, or in the case of whales, the ship followed them for a while before resuming course. And yes, the ice colours were hypnotic 😀
Egídio
Fabulous photos and account! I would have thought it’d have been colder. Between 3-9C is not so bad for that location, I’d venture to say.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, really not so very cold, especially with the right clothing 🙂 Thank you for the lovely compliment!
wetanddustyroads
Although you mentioned in your post that the temperature was 16°C the next day, this specific day looked very cold (I don’t think my thickest jacket in the closet will keep me warm 😉). Beautiful photos and it’s nice to read (and see) how each day on the cruise went.
Sarah Wilkie
No need to worry about the thickness of your own jackets as they provide a very warm parka! I was never too cold except one day when my fingers got wet on a zodiac ride 😆
norasphotos4u
It looks cold – but beautiful
Sarah Wilkie
It was fairly cold on this day, and most of them, but fine if you had the right clothing which we did. And wait till I publish my post about the following day which was freakily warm at + 16C!
thehungrytravellers.blog
I can imagine the excitement each time one of those announcements was made, there must have been a buzz throughout the boat. I smiled a bit though at “smartening up a bit” for meal time….I’d struggle there, smart clothes do not make the cut when packing my backpack 😂. It would be sandwiches in my cabin for me!
Sarah Wilkie
A real buzz, yes 🙂 We were asked at the first briefing if we would want a PA announcement at three in the morning if a polar bear was sighted and everyone said yes, but as it turned out all of the announcements were … I was going to say ‘in daylight hours’, but ALL the hours were daylight! But you know what I mean? As for smartening up, there was 100% no obligation to do so and certainly not everyone did. For those who made some effort, it was something like a newer cleaner sweater, not bow tie and tails 😆
Jim Earlam
Lovely account Sarah, sounds like a real adventure! The ice really is like a Fox’s Glacier Mint!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Jim 😀 Yes, very like a glacier mint, you’re right!
grandmisadventures
So incredible to see those whales so close! I just love the landscape- a little frozen, a little wild, and really beautiful
Sarah Wilkie
We got even closer to a whale on one of the days as you will see! I agree about the landscape, it was stunning 😃 Thank you Meg.
Alison
Wonderful shots Sarah, being on the zodiac sounds fun. The colours of the ice are amazing. Hope you’ll be mentioning the food you ate on the cruise
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Alison 😊 I really enjoyed the zodiac rides! As for the food, too much of it to mention, but it was almost all excellent. Buffets for breakfast and lunch, three course a la carte for dinner, plus little treats such as cakes when we got back after an excursion 😀
Alison
Sounds perfect
Easymalc
Absolutely wonderful Sarah – and there’s more to come 😊
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Malcolm 😊 Yes, very much more!
bushboy
The blue ice is amazing to see
Sarah Wilkie
Isn’t it just?! Thanks Brian 🙂
margaret21
Fascinating stuff. And I have your earlier posts sitting waiting for me now that home is a little (a lot!) more peaceful.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret 🙂 No hurry, those posts aren’t going anywhere, so take your time to catch your breath! We thought of you when up in Masham last weekend – such a shame our visit coincided with your visitors as it would have been good to see you. Another time I hope!
margaret21
I hope so. In fact we weren’t even there. We’d gone to Buxton to see Daughter Number One.
Monkey's Tale
Well that’s an exciting start! And I like that they announce when whales are close. Maybe all wildlife spotting cruises do that, I’ve only been on one in Galapagos, so completely different. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Maggie 😊 Yes, there were regular announcements whenever there was any wildlife worth viewing from the deck. I think that’s quite normal for these expedition cruises but I’m not sure if the larger ships that visit Svalbard would do it as they can’t get so close to the shore. Although I guess for whales that might not be an issue. This was very different in some ways to our Galapagos cruise but in other ways similar . We didn’t go ashore as often as did there (polar bears scuppered a couple of planned landings, and fog another), and although the emphasis was very much on the wildlife there was also more in the way of scenery, geology and history.
Monkey's Tale
Sounds like a great arctic trip.
Rebecca
Beautiful! Lots of wildlife sightings, including beluga whales! Looks like an adventurous time in the Arctic 😊
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rebecca, it was a wonderful adventure 😀
Susanne Swanson
So gorgeous! Reminds me of our cruises to Alaska, but the zodiac boats crank it up a notch and adds to the adventure! It’s always a treat to see glaciers and whales!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Susanne 😊 I loved our zodiac cruises, getting so much closer to everything, and of course they also took us ashore most days!
Anna
We are going through the coldest and wettest winter in 30 years here in Perth… not the time to be reading your posts! I’m so sick of the cold and having winter depression to be honest. Could you maybe post these in February when I’m whinging about the heat??? 🤣🤣
Sarah Wilkie
Haha, thanks Anna 🤣 If it helps, these posts will still be here in February so you could just save them to read then!
the eternal traveller
Fabulous photos! Amazing that you saw Arctic terns in the Arctic and we also saw them in Antarctica. Incredible little birds.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much 😊 Yes, they’re amazing birds! I was glad to get Kris’s photo as I didn’t get any myself this day. I did get a few later in the trip though not as clear as his!
Sue
Well, that certainly was an adventure..great to see the different whales, even at a distance! and I am fascinated by the colours of the icebergs
Sarah Wilkie
An adventure indeed Sue! I always love seeing whales (more to come btw) and I too was fascinated by the variety in the iceberg colours 🙂
Anonymous
I’ve been looking forward to reading all about your Svalbard adventure, and it didn’t disappoint.
Sarah Wilkie
Much more to come as this was just one day! Not sure who you are but I appreciate you commenting 🙂
Anne Sandler
Wow, that was cold weather, but what an adventure! I loved your photos and looking forward to more.
Sarah Wilkie
It really wasn’t too cold Anne – most of the time like a winter in the UK! The day after this we had 16C, and were stripping off our warm layers 🙂 But mostly between 3C to 9C, although the wind could be sharp at times.