Polar Bear - Svarlbard

Our no 1 target, along with everybody else on the trip was polar bear. After 4 days I had had a very brief distant glimpse. Julia didn't even see that. I was beginning to worry it wasn't going to happen.

Whenever we went ashore, guides would go out first to check the area to make sure there were no polar bears in sight. Once happy they would set up a perimeter of look outs all armed with flares and rifles. They were taking safety very seriously.  

We were just about to board our rib to go to shore to get up close to walruses when we were told that the ground already out on land we being evacuated as a polar bear had approached and somehow got inside the cordon. A flare was fired but the bear didn't seen worried by that, so everyone hurriedly had to get back in the ribs and back to the boat. 

We headed to the top deck and had great scope views as the bear ambled along the shore. The walruses didn't seem too worried by it and the bear didn't seem particularly interested in them. 

As the bear seemed settled and happy it was decided we could take a rib out and get close up views from the sea. We watched the bear on and off from the boat for around an hour as it slowly headed away along the shore. What an experience!