Storøya and encounter with the King of the Arctic
What a remote island! Storøya is a miniature version of Kvitøya. A large icecap that covers most of the island apart from some rocks in the south and a small peninsula on the northern tip. But the landscape is magnificent, and the weather is perfect! The sea is calm and the slow, long swell from the south are the only thing that disturbs the flat surface.
White and blue icebergs that’s broken off from the icecap surrounds us as we depart from Sjøveien in our Zodiacs. The black and brown beach and small strip of land are mostly gravel and rocks and some sea ice that still attached to the land. Before we left Sjøveien we carefully scouted of the beach and discovered a small yellow spot on a snowfield by shoreline. Now, as we approach the area with the spot, spot changes shape and the white head of a polar bear turns towards us. The water off the beach is shallow and sprinkled with rocks so we stay at a safe 100 meters distance from the beach. But it is more than enough to have a great experience! The polar bear is a really big male bear that is resting on the snow. The bear is just lifting its head when he hears us but is clearly determined to continue to sleep. We manage to get some great pictures of the bear before we return to Sjøveien and continue our expedition.
7 July 2022
Magnus Danbolt
Guide and Expedition LeaderRelated trips
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Svalbard Adventure 2024
M/S Sjøveien 12 passengers9 days 7 nights on ship USD 8 590LanguagesDepartures: May / June 2024 -
Expedition Svalbard 2024
M/S Sjøveien 12 passengers12 days 10 nights on ship USD 10 890LanguagesDepartures: June / 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.