On the third day of our Svalbard cruise, we navigated through the sea ice north of Spitsbergen. The morning greeted us with fog and fragmented ice, but conditions gradually improved. A swarm of black-legged kittiwakes trailed behind us, as our ship stirred the waters, pushing aside ice floes to reveal the tiny dark polar cod beneath.
Shrieking and flapping their wings frantically, the kittiwakes dove repeatedly to catch their favorite meal. Fulmars glided by, mostly ignoring the feeding frenzy at the stern. Occasionally, we spotted an ivory gull and several pomarine skuas.
In the distance, we observed bearded seals, resembling dark sausages on the ice, and harp seals splashing around intermittently. However, no polar bears had been sighted yet.
The beauty of the Spitsbergen ice
The day in the ice was nothing short of incredible, calm and serene. We were in awe of the scenery, taking in the vast expanse of the icy realm stretching in all directions. It was unlike anything we had ever seen. We watched as the ship’s bow pushed aside the floes, creating new cracks for the kittiwakes to dive into.
We took countless photos of the feeding, flying, or resting birds. Among them were young ones, identifiable by the black markings on their heads and wings. Still, we held out hope for a polar bear sighting.
While our expedition team scanned the area from the bridge, many of us joined the search from the outer decks or the panorama lounge. It was hard not to be distracted by the stunning ice surrounding us!
One bear, two bears, three polar bears…
Suddenly, an announcement from our expedition leader, Rinie van Meurs, filled the air, and his excitement was palpable: Bears had been spotted – not just one, but three! Everyone who wasn’t already outside or in the lounge rushed to their cabins for warm clothing, binoculars, and cameras.
As we slowly approached the location where the bears had been sighted, it became clear that there were actually four bears, and they were very close together!
Dancing Svalbard polar bears
Our captain skillfully inched the ship closer, when suddenly two of the bears began sparring – a behavior rarely observed in the Barents Sea. We watched breathlessly as they wrestled, eventually standing up and balancing on their hind legs as if engaged in a strange dance.
At the same time, the fog that had begun to settle lifted, allowing sunlight to break through. Cameras clicked away at the backlit bears, their outlines glowing.
A feast for the ivory gulls of Spitsbergen
The two sparring bears were clearly young males. The third bear, another young male, curiously approached the ship but then hesitated, hiding behind a lump of ice with just his head peeking out.
The fourth bear, an older male, had had enough of the youthful antics and retreated a few meters. Over 60 ivory gulls either sat on the ice, waiting patiently, or paced back and forth near the remains of what had once been a bearded seal.
Only skin and bones were left, but that was more than enough for the birds, including several young ones with their polka-dot plumage.
Here comes polar bear number five!
While we were engrossed in the scene, we almost missed a new addition: A fifth male bear wandered in, sniffing the air, drawn by the scent of the kill.
He approached cautiously. None of the other bears seemed to mind, allowing him to come closer until he finally reached the carcass. There wasn’t much left to nibble on, but our Svalbard expedition provided an extraordinary experience of seeing five bears in one spot. It was even possible to capture all of them in a single photo.
A truly remarkable polar bear adventure!
![Alpine Peaks of Spitsbergen, Ski & Sail](/assets/img/main_image/Compressed/51594431c5b54ff5e4480ca2fbf3e9abfea4588d.webp)
![Arctic Ocean - Fair Isle, Jan Mayen, Ice edge, Spitsbergen, Birding](/assets/img/main_image/Compressed/e9bd3aed1e9cb6460edb0a50cd1db0df49211994.webp)
![North Spitsbergen Explorer - Versatile landscapes, sea ice & wildlife](/assets/img/main_image/Compressed/01e69e313c8a43860c744b64ec11b4128a5c0cf5.webp)
![North Spitsbergen, Arctic Summer](/assets/img/main_image/Compressed/ea0f1e071340bcde570438da05c07afe64996a10.webp)
![North Spitsbergen Explorer - Versatile landscapes, sea ice & wildlife](/assets/img/main_image/Compressed/a4b7fc9c4d18acd59b4cbb2d73c7e747b1971037.webp)
Related Trips
Blog
![go-left](/assets/assets_icon/left_icon.svg)
![The Ice-Jewelled Geology of Spitsbergen - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/dcc485ee250cebb6db1144cca7d2822dcf6701c6.webp)
The Ice-Jewelled Geology of Spitsbergen
![Why a Polar Diving Cruise Should be Your Next Great Decision - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/a643a15069a578a9d52b03ffb34bde2929b8bf97.webp)
Why a Polar Diving Cruise Should be Your Next Great Decision
![The Arctic Borderland of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/d75e408c824619390442336c7ad548e3752ca263.webp)
The Arctic Borderland of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
![Navigating by touch through the sea ice - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/3bfc3335c58133daac627d24210f7e9a79ba2aa5.webp)
Navigating by touch through the sea ice
![10 Bountiful Blue Whale Facts - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/17d8abe962ea4efea7a0e6209933b1c1e7a4a797.webp)
10 Bountiful Blue Whale Facts
![Cheapest Antarctica Cruises: How to Save on Your Journey - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/How%20to%20save%20up%20to%2050%25%20on%20Antarctica%20Expedition%20Cruises.webp)
Cheapest Antarctica Cruises: How to Save on Your Journey
![Around Spitsbergen vs. North Spitsbergen - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/74b3b2b40ebd1d63dfe64a63fd7a5d14ed084018.webp)
Around Spitsbergen vs. North Spitsbergen
![Antarctic krill: Antarctica's Superfood - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/3ea7507cfe27bfa243cb896b9a0cb4e7bd4326b0.webp)
Antarctic krill: Antarctica's Superfood
![Antarctica Cities (and Five Other Things That Don’t Exist There) - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/5232c763b05d537b5eaaf87509844cad98be702f.webp)
Antarctica Cities (and Five Other Things That Don’t Exist There)
![The ozone layer in Antarctica - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/media6017fab5dd492535452400.webp)
The ozone layer in Antarctica
![Spitsbergen: a true polar bear trip - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/252105b34a16a5f41d686e10ac00dd7ad2e2d4c1.webp)
Spitsbergen: a true polar bear trip
![The Research Stations of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/91751f5d5609171428b7ef1b357395c3ca7d61ff.webp)
The Research Stations of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic
![Adélie Penguins: the Little People of the Antarctic - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/14cadebf3246ceb96b939c2325ccfd1f1c4618e8.webp)
Adélie Penguins: the Little People of the Antarctic
![A Day on m/v Plancius - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/f8aa1a0a9f1fe3336904e4e39e43c8f205cbae19.webp)
A Day on m/v Plancius
![Imperial Antarctica: the Snow Hill Emperor Penguins - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/e85fd1c229110d84673bc4f871599fca8ff3beda.webp)
Imperial Antarctica: the Snow Hill Emperor Penguins
![5 Life Lessons You'll Learn in Antarctica - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/4dea223a73f70196605e21568b26c91ad4a1d1e2.webp)
5 Life Lessons You'll Learn in Antarctica
![Penguins, Petrels, and Prions: Top Antarctica Bird Tour Spots - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/f715cf1ccaa29c557687cb7d64d7710ebec6b85b.webp)
Penguins, Petrels, and Prions: Top Antarctica Bird Tour Spots
![The Ultimate Traveler’s Guide to the Arctic and Antarctica - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/efdf9375f1f9e75f893c7d61dd0470fb7cc1c383.webp)
The Ultimate Traveler’s Guide to the Arctic and Antarctica
![The Overlooked Treasures of Ascension Island - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/a9610972f6fdbbc82369a491af7fd9e08b512cfa.webp)
The Overlooked Treasures of Ascension Island
![Arctic Icon: 10 Facts about the Polar Bear - Nexta Expeditions](/assets/img/blog_main_img/compressed/44fdf1aa5c54b2dcfcb48a047f2672d9215297d7.webp)