A magical landscape of ice
Today we woke up to the sound of sea ice sliding along the ship's hull. When you opened the curtains, there were big chunks of sea ice as far as you could see.
I have seen my share of sea ice, both around the coast line of Svalbard but also on the North Pole & South Pole. But I simply never get tired of it. This type of landscape has its own energy, its own, almost magic atmosphere.
From here on - there is nothing but ice until you reach the North Pole.
An exiting but also a scary thought. Up here you are truly exposed to the rough elements, both the wind and the cold.
But today we were lucky, again. The sky was as clear as crystal and there was not even a tiny breath of wind.We spent a couple of hours on the water in the Zodiacs, surfing between the sea ice sheets, just taking in the view.
After that, all the guests got to experience what swimming in 0,5DC feels like, since we organised the famous “polar plunge” at 80,30DN. Since we did the plunge in the pack ice, Zodiacs were continuously busy to clear the gangway area of ice, at least so the guest hade some space to swim around.
We got to see a lot of funny faces, and a lot of brave souls embracing the challenge to jump into such cold water.
Please note: We always follow strict wildlife guidelines to ensure that we do not cause any disturbance.
Aríen Ramnfjell
GuideRelated trips
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Expedition Svalbard with Doug Allan 2024
M/S Quest 50 passengers12 days 10 nights on ship USD 8 390LanguagesDeparture: July 2024Special lecturer on board -
Springtime in Svalbard 2024
M/S Quest 50 passengers9 days 7 nights on ship USD 5 790LanguagesDepartures: May 2024 -
Svalbard Adventure 2024
M/S Quest 50 passengers9 days 7 nights on ship USD 6 290LanguagesDepartures: May / June 2024 -
Expedition Svalbard 2024
M/S Quest 50 passengers12 days 10 nights on ship USD 8 390LanguagesDepartures: July / August 2024
Destinations
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Since 1999, we have taken travellers on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Svalbard. From May to September our three small expedition ships, carrying only 12 and 50 passengers, explore this magnificent Arctic archipelago. Unpredictability and flexibility are the main keywords when you travel with PolarQuest as the exact route depends on weather, ice conditions and wildlife encounters. Sometimes you might be woken up in the middle of the night if a polar bear has been spotted on the ice.