The Polar Bear Pass region lived up to its name, providing plenty of wonderful polar bear encounters. Three bears woke us early this morning, luring us out of our warm beds. With many ringed and bearded seals around it was no surprise to find a family of bears out on the ice. While passengers gathered on the bow, a mother and her two cubs moved tentatively towards the ship. As the mother turned and led her cubs away from the ship the polar bears provided a beautiful photographic opportunity for those out on deck. Jumping one by one across gaps in the ice, all while obeying the rule of separation, the bears left National Geographic photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins, among others, audibly excited.
The arrival of two more bears interrupted our breakfast and before long our passengers were out on deck again. Our captain and his team expertly directed the ship through the ice, polar bear sightings continued incessantly throughout the day. Despite a band of fog obscuring the horizon, some excellent spotting by staff, crew, and guests meant we barely had a moment inside to warm up between polar bear encounters. The ship seemed to be at crawling speed for most of the day as we edged closer to mothers with their cubs, solitary males, and even a bear on a fresh seal kill.
In a rare break from polar bear sightings, our guests were treated to an afternoon barbecue on the sundeck. Stories of the day’s encounters were shared over cold beers and reindeer and lingonberry kebabs.
However the respite was short-lived, as even more polar bear sightings interrupted our evening Recap and delayed dinner. Spectacular light at the end of the day set the scene for a beautiful, intimate moment as a mother nursed her two cubs right in front of the bow.
The Polar Bear Pass region is a polar bear denning area, and it is so reassuring to see so many bears thriving on the last of the summer’s ice. Twenty-two individual bears, including eight family units, were spotted over the course of the day. A truly epic day on the Epic 80°N expedition that will live long in the memory for both guests and staff.
