A polar bear swims amongst the ice floes. Sailing along the ice edge north of Svalbard we came across this male polar bear. He watched as we approached and he was totally relaxed. Eventually he slid into the water backwards and swam parallel to us for quite awhile. En...
Polar bear on a sperm whale carcas. We heard the news that a sperm whale carcass had been trapped in the pack ice north of Svalbard. We spent a long time searching for the carcass and this was made difficult by persistent fog. Finally the fog lifted and in the...
Polar bear on the pack ice. This male Polar Bear spent more than hour wandering around on the pack close to our ship which was located north of Svalbard at the ice edge. At one point he appeared on an ice floe near some open water so we got some nice reflections....
Polar Bear wanders around the pack ice. We found this male polar bear on the pack ice north of Svalbard. He put on a very good show for us including some nice reflections. He left us by jumping from one floe to the next. Polar bears are the most wonderful of animals...
Polar Bear swimming to a Sperm Whale Carcass. We had watched this male polar bear establish his superiority over another bear trying to reach this sperm whale carcass in the pack ice north of Svalbard. He now swam back to the carcass. He spent some time licking fat...
Sparring male polar bears. Sailing close to the ice edge north of Svalbard we had found a sperm whale carcass embedded in the ice. A single male polar bear was on the carcass but was having trouble penetrating through the tough skin. In the distance we could see...
An inquisitive polar bear. It had been a foggy day sailing along the edge of the pack ice north Svalbard. As the fog lifted the beauty of the ice became apparent. Then to our delight a female polar bear appeared. She came over to check us out and was very relaxed. She...
A polar bear and fulmars near a sperm whale carcass in the pack ice north of Svalbar. As we moved slowly through the pack ice well north of Svalbard we encountered a carcass of a sperm whale trapped in the pack ice. There were a couple of polar bears nearby. This bear...
Polar Bear with cub cross the fast ice. There was a vast expanse of fast ice in Raudfjord, Svalbard in June 2023. The ice was dotted with seals which had hauled out. In the distance we spotted a Polar Bear and her cub as they set off across the fast ice. Although they...
Polar Bear amongst the ice floes. A Polar Bear was exploring the ice floes in northern Svalbard. The ice was majestic and a beautiful contrast to the sea. The Polar Bear picked his way through the ice then had to swim to the next ice floe. It gave a big shake of the...
Polar Bears play with ice. Polar Bears like to have fun! In Svalbard we saw bears playing with bits of ice on several occasions. I guess there is little else to play with. Although we have sen them playing with drift wood, aerosol cans and fishing gear. It is such a...
Polar Bear strolls across the ice. Svalbard is perhaps the perfect place to watch Polar Bears on the pack ice. In June 2023 there was a lot of ice to the north of Svalbard and much of it was nicely sculptured. We saw this male Polar Bear making his way across the ice....
Polar Bear on a seal kill. As we pushed through the ice heading into Raudfjord, Svalbard we could see many Glaucous Gulls in the distance. This indicated the presence of a carcass. As we got closer it was evident that a Polar Bear had taken a Bearded Seal. There was...
Swimming Polar Bear. Svalbard in June is blessed with 24 hours of sunshine each day. It was early in the morning when the light was perfect that we found this male Polar Bear swimming amongst the ice floes. He checked out the ice from both the water and the ice floes....
Polar Bear cubs of the year play with mum. A Polar Bear and her two cubs of the year (COYS) were making their way across the fast ice in Raudfjord, Svalbard. The sun was beating down causing some significant shimmer. As we watched one of the cubs ran towards its...
Playful Polar Bear cubs of the year. In Svalbard’s Raudfjord, a Polar Bear and her two cubs of the year (COYS) were making their leisurely way across the fast ice. The cubs became quite boisterous and began playing with each other. Their mother looked on with...
Curious Polar Bear cubs of the year. In Northern Svalbard we had watched a female Polar Bear and her two cubs of the year (COYS) for quite some time. However, they were very distant. Then curiosity got the better of them and they moved closer towards us. They were...
Polar Bear plays with drift wood. In Raudfjord in the north of Svalbard, we found this 1.5 year old male polar bear. We had been watching him for several hours when he appeared from the water carrying a piece of drift wood. He immediately began to play with this stick...
Playful Polar Bear. This 1.5 yr old male Polar Bear had been close to our icebreaker for some time, in Svalbard’s, Raudfjord. He had played with drift wood, blocks of ice and even some old fishing ropes. It was great entertainment. He became more inquisitive and...
Kittiwakes follow our ship. There was a lot of ice around Svalbard in the summer of 2023. As our ship pushed through the ice north of Svalbard Polar Cod were exposed from below the ice. This brought in lots of Kittiwakes as they like to feast on these delicacies. The...