I decided to sail again with Aurora Expeditions to do what is commonly known as “going on the ice,” and the circumnavigation of Svalbard seems to give me the most time and variety.

Ice, Ice..Maybe?

While I have been on expeditions in Antarctica, Greenland, and even Svalbard, where ice has caused some landings and zodiac cruises to be cancelled, that was not the case this time.  While there are many beautiful glaciers in Svalbard, Aurora Expeditions worked hard to find the ice upon which polar bears, seals, and certain birds count on for their survival. Usually, this time of year, you can still find fast ice (ice that is fastened to the land) around Svalbard, but even though we were far east and north, I didn’t observe any.

In fact, we had to travel higher than 82 degrees north to find some pack ice (ice that packs together); something normally found at much lower latitudes, typically around 80 degrees north.

There is something that is just peaceful when you are on the ice. It seems to quiet sounds and the pastel colors create a dream world of blues, whites, and greys. And then there is a soft sound of ice slipping past the Sylvia Earle as she slowly sails through it. Ahhhh.

In contrast, there are glaciers almost everywhere, some growing, some receding, but always beautiful. And, when you are near a glacier front, as you take in the views, you wait for that sound – like a gunshot – and look around for a calving, with its dramatic falling of ice…followed by totally meaningless, but fun, pontifications as to which part of the glacier is going to have the next calving and how large is it going to be.

While it never gets old, Aurora Expedition’s commitment to keep you out for at least two hours for every landing and zodiac cruise, can, when visiting a glacier front, feel a bit long.

However, ya’ never know what you might miss if you aren’t out there! Using that to my advantage, on one of the last days I decided that when everyone else headed out in the zodiacs Iwould stay onboard to experience, not just the glacier fronts, but the glaciers as far as the eyes could see…in the quiet, listening to the sound of 100+ year old air escaping from the melting ice in the water. It was almost perfection. Perfection came when I heard the thundering sound of a huge calving and watched as the ice fell into water, creating a huge splash and wave of water, followed by a few of the now-exposed deep blue ice. 

It’s For the Birds (Belugas and Buildings)!

The first days of my circumnavigation of the Svalbard Archipelago with Aurora Expeditions were foggy, and I mean really foggy. So much so that the first full day and a half was a washout because landings couldn’t happen due to the inability to determine if there were any polar bears, and zodiac cruising because if you can’t see that far in front of you, what is the point?  

(I know there are those who will look at an expedition as, “I paid for twice a day experiences, so if I miss some, I won’t be getting my money’s worth.” This expedition, as was my last one, may have been impacted by weather on a few days, but it is the once-in-a-lifetime and other awe-inspiring moments that truly matter. The sum of its parts does not determine an excellent expedition, and once again, Aurora Expeditions delivered far more than even hyper-critical me could have asked for.  For example, see Part I, where I discuss truly epic polar bear and harp seal encounters. )

However, the fog began to break later on the second day. The Aurora expedition team eventually got us out there in the fog and drizzle, and as a result, two memorable things happened. 

One was what I will admit was a bit of luck/being in the right place at the right time. There was a large group of kittiwakes sitting on a small iceberg (a “bergy bit”). I was composing a shot with the water, the ice, and the glacier behind, along with the fog, and the birds got startled. The result is the photograph below.  I’m not sure if it, or one of the polar bear photos in my other article, will be what I consider the best of this expedition.

The other was seeing quite a few beluga whales, including some young ones. They are difficult to photograph since they really don’t pick their heads out of the water (hence, they look like white blobs), but their elegance and sounds (they are called the “canaries of the sea”) were wonderful. In fact, we encountered belugas from both the zodiacs and the ship. I’ve only really seen belugas one other time, so seeing them multiple times, with young ones, and so close up was fantastic.

And then the fog truly lifted! We finally had a beautiful afternoon zodiac cruise. It was, for me, a nice birding and geological few hours. Black Guillemot, Brünnich’s Guillemot, Red Phalaropes, Glaucous gulls, Barnacle Geese, some incredible rock formations, and beautiful waterfalls.

As things now seemed more, excuse the expression, on course, we did make a landing at a long-abandoned multinational research facility. The buildings were interesting to photograph, but alas, did not have the charm or historic interest of some of the old whaling and hunting cabins I have seen in the past.

A short hike up to a ridge (you never know what will be on the other side) gave me an opportunity to see some of the local plants, a snow bunting, and sandpipers.

A visit to the famous bird cliffs of Alkenfjellet, with over 90,000 breeding pairs of Brünnich’s guillemots. Add in the non-breeding (younger) ones, and estimates are of over 250,000. Watching these beautiful black and white birds crammed together on  tiny rock ledges, flying in and out with hundreds of them in the air above you, is fascinating.

Throw in a few squabbles (some pretty fierce), kittiwakes, glaucous gulls, and great skuas looking for an opportune time to grab a guillemot as a snack, throw in some waterfalls, and it is downright captivating.

Enter the reason the cliffs are so popular with the birds: an arctic fox, which will take advantage of any opportunity to grab an egg, chick, or adult, and things can get interesting. The one we saw was a bit thin, but watching him scour the shore and hop from rock to rock to steal a feast (bird) from a glaucous gull and then scurry with it up a hill, probably to stash it for later, was a treat.

I enjoyed our second bird cliffs, at Wahlbergoya, a bit more due to a more diverse landscape and more green vegetation. Besides spending time with two arctic foxes, a reindeer, a glaucous gull with its chick, and the guillemots, there was a surprising bonus. As we were cruising along, I saw black and white birds on the cliffs, but they were facing out to the water, rather than towards the rocks, as guillemots do.  So, I asked, “Aren’t those puffins?” Yes, they were!

As our expedition was winding down we had a second opportunity to see puffins…a good number of them, all with their beaks in full breeding colors, ducking (is that right?) into and out of tiny rock caves and nooks.

On another occasion, again in uncharted waters, a visit to a geologically mesmerizing tiny island of Isispynten, resting between two glacier fronts made for an interesting zodiac cruise. While the sky was filled with arctic terns, the shore offered up a long-tailed duck, eider ducks, a red phalarope,

and a curious cairn that appears to be an ancient navigational marker.

Good & Plenty (IYKYK)

I have to admit that I did skip a couple of landings and zodiac cruises as this expedition was winding down. It was not a sign of a waning wonderment or appreciation of Svalbard and its natural wonders. It has been a signal of fulfillment. Having been on expedition in Svalbard three times, things slow down, the little things become more important, and “just being” becomes more of focus than FOMO or a desire to do everything. I can’t believe I am doing this, but the words of the most evil teacher I ever had, Mrs. Cunliffe, comes to mind:

Enough is enough. And too much is plenty.

Aurora Expeditions and Sylvia Earle have most certainly provided more than enough and, in fact, plenty.

From epic polar bear encounters

to truly beautiful glacier fronts

up close (but respectful of distancing requirements) encounters with wildlife

to solid birding

to beautiful arctic landscapes

all while on a beautiful and very comfortable small ship

and, most importantly, an expert Expedition Team that not only is truly a “team” but also educates and interacts with the guests in the best possible ways. 

All that said, I do have emphasize that as much I love Aurora Expeditions and the experience it provides for me, it is important that you choose the right expedition, the right length, and the right activity level for you. For me, this was a physically laid-back expedition. But for a few, I could see that after about a week, they started to break down physically and/or had enough mentally. Alas, you not only need the expertise onboard, but real expertise from the start of the expedition selection process. 

My next Aurora Expeditions experience will be on the short pre-inaugural cruise on Douglas Mawson, sailing from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania on November 28, 2025. With the entry of this third ship to Aurora Expeditions’ fleet, some exciting itineraries are coming. From Antarctica expeditions departing from New Zealand, exploring heretofore rarely visited areas, to New Guinea, Indonesia, and even destinations closer to the United States, such as Costa Rica.