Animals,  Coast & seascapes,  Svalbard

Arctic diary eight: Edgeøya walruses and dolphins

October 3, 2025 / 50 Comments

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished

Lao Tzu, quoted in the Ocean Explorer’s daily programme

Everything is accomplished? In nature, perhaps, but on an expedition cruise not everything that is planned can work out quite as expected.

We had already seen yesterday how fog could create a change of plan, as we’d been unable to land at Andréeneset on Kvitøya. Today another force of nature was to have a similar impact; not weather but bears!

We had left Kvitøya Island yesterday afternoon, earlier than planned, after fog prevented us going out on a zodiac excursion. The ship sailed through the evening and night to reach our next island in the Svalbard archipelago, Edgeøya. By breakfast time we had sailed through the channel that separates it from neighbouring Barentsøya and were approaching our planned landing spot, Kapp Lee, on its northwest corner. I went up on deck to take photos of the island as the overnight fog lifted, including my featured shot above.

Edgeøya

Kapp Lee

Kapp Lee holds one of Svalbard`s largest remaining historical slaughtering places for walrus. At this historical site we can see hut foundations and brick fragments, the remains of an 18th century hunting station of the Pomors (Russians from the White Sea area), as well as more recent huts from Norwegian hunters. It’s also a known walrus haul-out, we hope to view them from shore.

From the Ocean Explorer’s daily programme
Walrus haul out and huts, Kapp Lee

‘We hope to view them from shore’. Well, you know what Robert Burns said about the best-laid plans; they ‘gang aft agley’, that is, go oft awry. The plan for this morning had been to go ashore here to see a walrus haul out from the land. However soon after breakfast Ryan told us that a polar bear had been spotted on the hill behind the foreshore, so a landing was out of the question. Instead we would go out in the zodiacs to observe the walruses from the sea.

Our boat driver/guide today was Tara. She was great at both sharing information and getting us into very good spots for photos and views. We lingered offshore for some time near the walrus haul out. And although it was sometimes difficult to get photos with the movement of the zodiac, I took loads to be fairly sure of a few decent ones.

Walrus haul out

After a while here the polar bear appeared on the rocky ridge above us. He/she was silhouetted there for a short while before returning back down the far side.

Spot the polar bear!

Soon after this Ryan, who had gone further along the coast, radioed the guides to say that there were some reindeer grazing there. Tara asked if we wanted to see them and there was a unanimous yes, of course. So she took us along the coast to where there were four reindeer, all males with their antlers in velvet. She told us that those antlers would drop in September.

And now spot the reindeer (clue: there are four)!

After a while here we returned to the walruses, some now swimming in front of the beach. Tara estimated there were over 100 in this group. But Ema was to tell us later that she thought it was closer to 160, all male!

All too soon it was time to return to the ship where a fair bit of swell made climbing out of the zodiac a little interesting!

Barentsøya

While we ate lunch the ship headed to our afternoon destination on the neighbouring island of Barentsøya. There walks through the tundra were planned. However the wind was already making use of the zodiacs look doubtful when more polar bears, a mother and cub, were spotted on a ridge above the area where we were to have landed. We went on deck, but they were too far away for my camera to get any decent images. However our resident photographer Kris was more successful.

Polar bear and cub, @kristopherandres
Polar bear and cub, @kristopherandres

As I couldn’t photograph the bears I focused instead on the bleak but beautiful landscapes of Barentsøya.

Barentsøya
Barentsøya

The bears settled it, another quiet afternoon on board. But the Quark team always find ways to keep you as occupied (or otherwise) as you want to be, and today was no exception. They offered tours of the bridge, in small groups, which we decided to do. We got a good look around and explanations of quite a few of the instruments, of which there were many! I found it very interesting, although my only disappointment was that no photos were allowed, by request of the captain.

After that Chris and I decided to try the sauna, offering picture window views. We got so warm that we felt brave enough to go out on the open deck to spend time in one of the hot tubs. It was really wonderful sitting in the warm water and watching the sea slide past beneath us. This time though it was me requesting no photos please!

Dolphins ahoy!

Towards the end of the afternoon there was an announcement that dolphins had been spotted on the port side of the ship. It was hard to get any photos, let alone good ones, but I managed some sort of record shot. I later learned these were white beaked dolphins.

White beaked dolphins

Evening activities

At the usual recap and briefing naturalist Ema told us more about Svalbard reindeer. We learned that unlike the males we’d seen this morning, females keep their antlers through the winter until their calves are born. And historian Ian had a fascinating tale of four Russian sailors who were stranded on Edgeøya for six years after the ship they’d been on was forced by the sea ice to sail away without them. They were given up for dead but survived by making spears with driftwood and the nails from old cabin which they used to kill reindeer and other animals. They were rescued by a passing ship and went home to find fame from their exploits and wealth from the fox furs they had accumulated.

This evening’s talk was possibly the best yet. Tara told us about her adventurous and successful attempt ten years ago to be the first (with two male companions) to circumnavigate the four main islands of Svalbard in a kayak.

In 2014, Tara circumnavigated Vancouver Island, Canada. Then in 2015, she was part of a small team who completed the first kayak circumnavigation of Svalbard Archipelago in the high Arctic. During this 71-day adventure, they paddled with walrus and whales, traversed pack ice, navigated long open water crossings in thick fog and had many encounters with polar bears. It was on this journey that she developed a love of the Polar Regions, for their wild, barren landscapes, the midnight sun, and their unique wildlife.

From Tara’s biographical notes (Quark provide quite detailed biographies of all members of the expedition team)

There were tales of hairy polar bear encounters (including waking up to find a bear on top of the tent!), a rival Norwegian team and some wonderful images of ice cliffs and walruses in addition to those bears. Engrossing stuff to round off the day.

I visited Svalbard in August 2025; this is an account of our adventures on Monday, August 11th

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