At Sea, North to Bjørnøya
We sailed north on a sea so calm that for every gray fulmar there was a black fulmar mirrored beneath it. Just perfect conditions for whale watching! We were aiming for the continental shelf west of Bjørnøya (Bear Island). Here the sea bed plunges two thousand feet to the ocean depths.
At the drop-off of the continental shelf we were welcomed by two humpback whales. As they were diving, we noticed how different the two individuals were. One tail was almost completely black and the other one almost completely white (see paintings). Also, as we came closer and they resurfaced to blow, then we noticed how different the dorsal fins were; one was hooked like a can opener and the other resembled the tiny head of a falcon (see paintings). Our next encounter was another big whale. Our next encounter was another big whale. By the tilted angle of the blow we could tell that this was a sperm whale; it then lay at the surface for several minutes and finally lifted its tail and sank into the deep sea.
The next excitement was some splashes up ahead, and as we approached we could see a pod of killer whales chasing white-beaked dolphins. In less than ten minutes the pod appeared to have eaten one of the dolphins, leaving only a floating piece of lung for the fulmars to fight over. Soon afterwards we had our final treat: a group of fin whales - the second largest mammal on the planet, typically over sixty feet long. Our captain also spotted a minke whale, making six species of cetacean on this unforgettable day of sailing towards the Svalbard archipelago.
We sailed north on a sea so calm that for every gray fulmar there was a black fulmar mirrored beneath it. Just perfect conditions for whale watching! We were aiming for the continental shelf west of Bjørnøya (Bear Island). Here the sea bed plunges two thousand feet to the ocean depths.
At the drop-off of the continental shelf we were welcomed by two humpback whales. As they were diving, we noticed how different the two individuals were. One tail was almost completely black and the other one almost completely white (see paintings). Also, as we came closer and they resurfaced to blow, then we noticed how different the dorsal fins were; one was hooked like a can opener and the other resembled the tiny head of a falcon (see paintings). Our next encounter was another big whale. Our next encounter was another big whale. By the tilted angle of the blow we could tell that this was a sperm whale; it then lay at the surface for several minutes and finally lifted its tail and sank into the deep sea.
The next excitement was some splashes up ahead, and as we approached we could see a pod of killer whales chasing white-beaked dolphins. In less than ten minutes the pod appeared to have eaten one of the dolphins, leaving only a floating piece of lung for the fulmars to fight over. Soon afterwards we had our final treat: a group of fin whales - the second largest mammal on the planet, typically over sixty feet long. Our captain also spotted a minke whale, making six species of cetacean on this unforgettable day of sailing towards the Svalbard archipelago.
