Guests do a zodiac tour of Bear Island. Fabulous scenery with thousands of nesting birds on steep cliffs of many varieties. The new chicks that literally fall from the cliffs to join the fathers as they prepare to leave and go to sea.  We did not see any new chicks ake that huge leap from the cliffs but saw some little ones in the water. The adult birds encircled to the small chick to provide protection. Wonderful sight. A highlight was going through a cave. The entrance provided a little thrill as we ran the swell to the entry, the other side was covered with birds swirling around the cave entrance. It was really dramatic we all loved it. So on the way back we decided to "do the cave again" from the opposite direction.  

The original plan was a landing at Kapp Lee however the presence of two Polar Bears changed the afternoon from a landing to a zodiac ride to view the bear and the walrus. One of the polar bears that had wandered down closer to the shore and a small group of walrus on the beach. During lunch we could see the bear walking around but by the time we got there he had run out of energy and was sleeping on the rocks. There was one walrus that was more fun raising his head out of the water. We were all hoping he would haul himself on land to join the walrus already on the shore but he did not oblige us. We got reasonably close to him about 100 yards I am terrible judging distances. In this case you really needed binoculars to see the animals well.

Alkefjeller an area of a large colony of guillemots perched on sheer rock cliffs, over 10,000 breeding pairs. The ship came really close and we drifted sideways in front of this magnificent rock formation.  Every tiny ledge was covered with birds I am sure Ken got some good pictures but no picture could do this scene justice.  It was different than being in a zodiac as we were at the same height as some of the nesting birds rather than looking up at them from the water. They look like penguins and there was a pink algae in the snow that look like penguin poop.  Thought I was on the wrong end of the planet!  The weather was again perfect, no wind, bright sunshine the expedition team were very excited about the conditions and had their cameras out as well.

We were in the first group to leave for the landing to see walrus on a beautifully sunny day with no wind and totally calm seas.  We were not disappointed.  Walrus can be like elephant seals in Antarctica. They just lay there like blobs.  Today we had a couple that were active, well active relative to discussing walrus activity on land.  One big walrus in the front was constantly scratching, sitting up and looking at us and rolling around.  I am sure many have some great shots.  Shortly after the second group arrived on shore the polar bear lookouts spotted two polar bears coming from different directions towards the group and the fog started rolling in at the same time.  A major fast exit from the land as everyone grabbed a life vest and boarded the zodiacs. All made it safely back from the shore and I hear from some in the group this was handled extremely well by crew and passengers.  The Captain came on the PA congratulating the passengers for the fast and efficient evacuation from the beach

Dinner concluded with the most spectacular sail alongside the Brasvilbreen We went to the bridge and watched waterfall after waterfall pour from the sides of the glacier. This is a spectacular sight and runs for 190 nautical miles alongside the southern and eastern edges of Austfonna . The expedition staff said it's the best glacier sighting they've ever seen. The weather was perfection, blue sky no wind, totally calm sea. It was hard to leave and go to bed. A sight I will never forget.
 

We sailed very close to the glacier around 6.30 am this morning. Wonderful scenery, then at 8.30 am the PA came on that they had seen three bears on shore. We were in the first group out on the zodiacs this morning and initially we saw the bears but they were all laying down and doing very little. One was on the snow and one was on the rocks. At about the same time they both starting stirring and lifting their heads. One started walking and we could see him well in the binoculars but not that well without them. He was raiding the arctic turns nests and the birds were going crazy. We moved around the area and watched these bears for about 30 minutes and just as we were coming back in we saw two bears together moving over the rocks. We followed the bears with our zodiac and then it really got exciting. One of the bears head was spotted at the top of the rocks. The bear started to walk down to the water. He made his way very slowly and the cameras were going crazy. He came right to the waters edge and looked like he may get in the water to come and visit a nice food source - us. We were so close to the bear you did not need binoculars to see his massive feet and claws. We had the expedition leader in our zodiac and he told all the zodiacs to start backing away. It was an incredible sighting. Cannot imagine it can get better than that. We saw either 5 or 6 polar bears this morning but the one that put on a show for us will never be forgotten.

The wind picked up and white caps were on the ocean. We were all in the second zodiac group so we were very comfy playing cards as the first zodiacs went out. Watching the zodiacs pitching around and spray flying it was tempting to stay onboard. After all how much better could it get than this morning? All but three of us decided to venture out. Those coming in from the first zodiac were soaking wet but looked really happy and said get wet it is worth it. Then we heard there are three polar bears and lots of walrus and the bears are circling the walrus and the walrus are everywhere in the water. So now we were all pretty excited about the adventure. It was not as rough in the zodiacs as it had appeared and then right after we started going to the shore line the SUN broke through and the wind died down a little. It was still choppy but not bad. When we got to the shoreline there were walrus in the water all around us. It is amazing how graceful they are in the water. Our zodiac driver had to be very careful as he maneuvered our zodiac among the walrus and the other zodiacs. Three polar bears were on the shore all slightly separated from each other. The best was one bear that was really close to a group of walrus and started circling around the walrus. We were hoping he would make a charge at the walrus but no such luck. The walrus is as likely to win that battle as the polar bear. The bears only go for the old and weak or for young walrus. This was a scene straight out of National Geographic. The walrus were everywhere in the water and on land, three polar bears, and an incredible cloud formation that looked like mountains. We got a little wet coming back and the cold was starting to set in but worth every second for the sight we saw.

This morning we got close to 81 degrees and then we stopped to do the POLAR plunge. Those brave souls that wished to take a tip in the Arctic ocean. Only one in our group that took that challenge and we all took pictures as he plunged under the water.  It was fun watching people jump in and come out as fast as they could. The two executive chefs took the plunge complete with Chefs hats.

This afternoon there was a landing on shore and it was nice to step on land but this particular landing was not as interesting as other landings we had done. We were in groups and could not wander off and explore on our own.

At about 7.00 am the PA announcement made us aware of a polar bear on an iceberg with a seal kill. We had about 10 minutes to get up on deck to see this wonderful sight. The bear was really quite close to the ship. He was eating the seal and the birds were flocking around for a few scraps. Unfortunately the seal slid off the ice and then the polar bear went into the water and then started swimming to the shore. What a way to start a day.

At about 8.00 am we departed the ship for a zodiac tour of the Monacobreen Glacier that proved to be another wow experience. The water was dead calm, the sun was shining and it was not very cold. We were fortunate to have the expedition leader Robin as our guide. The glacier was large and angled around the bay. There was a cave at one point that was constantly calving in HUGE chunks causing waves and swell. In the zodiac we edged as close as we could safely and saw some of the biggest calving I have ever seen and the appropriate waves and swell. We then stopped at another zodiac where the Captain was serving champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Gives a new meaning to champagne on ice!!

Then we went over to an area that has thousands of birds that feed in this area due to the food that is churned up from the glacier activity. As we watched another major calving took place and the birds scattered in every direction. A scene out of Alfred Hitchocks The Birds

We looked at a large piece of black ice that has large rocks embedded that had come off the moraine of the glacier where two glaciers met. Plus we got right next to a huge blue iceberg where we could touch it and stand in the zodiac and see how beautiful it was on the surface of the iceberg.

To finish touch to the morning was when a huge piece of blue ice popped up on the surface from below. I never knew this would happen but our guide said this is always a danger as these pieces break off the glacier below the water line and pop up to the surface and there is no way to know when that will happen. Another reason there is a distance that must be kept. As Jim B said it was like the glacier giving birth.
Afternoon activity
 

This morning we were are at Smeerenburg and old whaling station. The plan was to do a landing and visit the remains of this old whaling station. We were in the second group this morning. After the first group landed a bear was sighted in the water that had come on shore and was heading towards the landing site. So everyone quickly headed back into the zodiacs again and abandoned the landing site. Both groups did a zodiac ride to watch the bear. He was laying down and not too exciting just raising his head from time to time. We then did a zodiac tour of the whaling station. This is a stunning area with beautiful mountains that had just received fresh snow. Our zodiac driver was a Marine Biologist and spotted some jelly fish. One was really large with huge long tentacles and this added to the enjoyment of the morning excursion.
 

The original plan for the afternoon was to visit an area where a whale had washed up on shore that the polar bears were feeding on. This had been written up in earlier logs of the ship so I was enthusiastic about this plan. However the expedition leader came on and said we had seen enough bears already so we were going to head to Magdalena Fjord where people could do a landing and some walking in Arctic. This is an area where there are not a lot of bears. Lots of complaints from the passengers how can you ever see ENOUGH bears? So off we went and when we arrived in the Fjord you guessed it immediately they spotted a bear. With a bear spotted no landing was possible. This is a beautiful fjord and everyone enjoyed the scenery while an alternative plan was put in place. YEAH the expedition leader decided to return to the area of the whale carcass and polar bears. So we headed in that direction,

YEAH the expedition leader decided to return to the area of the whale carcass and polar bears. So we headed in that direction. Everyone on the ship was happy.

The weather changes so fast. The first group went out and came back saying there was hail and snow and rough water and it was very cold, but they saw four bears and it was worth it. When we went the sea had calmed down the sun was shining, no snow or hail and it was not that cold. We saw two bears, both sprawled out on the rock and sleeping. By the time we headed back the seas had become rough and the wind had picked up. The weather changes in an instant.  I am not sure of the count on the polar bears not but it is in the low twenties.

This morning we arrived at the July 14th Glacier. This is a spot that we visited last year. The expedition team map out the easiest route (still not easy) to go up to and stand on the glacier an activity many enjoy. If you do not want to do that climb then you can wander around on the shore and see the bird cliffs with many birds, including puffins and hope for a sighting of an arctic fox raiding the birds nests and walk to the base of the glacier. It is a really nice landing the base is small round rocks for the most part with the bigger rocks and boulders closer to the glacier. The conditions were good only a very light wind and an overcast sky with patches of blue. During the landing most made it up on the glacier, quite a few saw an Arctic Fox and the puffins were wonderful from the zodiac and many got some great puffin shots.