Poolepynten – Prins Karls Forland
After crossing the magic 80¢ª north Latitude last night, we were steaming at full speed south to get a chance to get close to some more walrus. The first place we tried was at Richardlaguna, which used to be the most common place to see walrus. However, in recent years the walruses seem to prefer a new haulout-site at Poolepynten, some miles further south.
We found a group of 10 walruses on land, with some in the water. Our Zodiacs took us ashore, and we had a nice walk up the beach to the walruses. Since we are on land we could approach to 100 feet from the large mammals.
This haulout-site at Poolepynten has three characteristic features of a traditional haulout-site. Is has a flat beach providing the walrus easy to access from the water. There is also shallow water nearby, where the walrus can find mussels and clams that are their preferred food. This area also has little ice in the winter, as it is on the west side of Spitsbergen, where the Gulf Stream passes by with a warm water current.
The evening we spent at sea looking for whales, and as the fog cleared up, we had the privilege to see some bow-riding white beaked dolphins. This was a really good ending to a great trip.
