At Sea, Tromso to Bjornoya
After our late evening visit to Fugloya, the National Geographic Explorer set a course to the north and ventured out into the Barents Sea. The weather was kind to us, in keeping with the rest of our voyage to date, and we experienced calm seas and good visibility. This combination proved to be excellent conditions for looking for and success in finding marine mammals. It did not take long before we were enjoying some early morning whale watching.
The marine mammal theme continued throughout the day and we were fortunate to encounter four species of whale – fin, sperm, humpback and minke – and white-beaked dolphins. On several occasions we braked for whales and obtained some great views of these enormous animals close to the ship. We also encountered a wide range of sea birds during the day.
Tomorrow we will arrive at Bjornoya, or Bear Island, an isolated lump of rock between northern Norway and Svalbard. We will spend the day exploring this remote island which is home to one of the premiere sea bird colonies in the North Atlantic. Birds that, like the cetaceans we enjoyed watching today, make their home in this region, taking advantage of the rich feeding grounds provided by these waters.
