June 15, 2013

During the night, we cruised southward and entered Bellsund, one of the larger fjords indenting Spitsbergen. We landed on a beach where there were remains of an old whaling station. Piles of bones from the beluga whales that were hunted almost to extinction littered the beach. A couple old cabins still stood. We hiked up the hills around the bay but it was not a fun hike. The wind was biting and strong and the tundra very soggy. At times it felt like it was going to suck the boots right off our feet.

After the hike, we cruised out of the fjord looking for the remains of shorefast ice where we might see more polar bears and seals. A few seals were spotted in the distance lying on the ice but no bears. But the scenery was beautiful.

To view more photos from Bellsund, please go to Bellsund Photo Gallery. To read about the next location visited, go to Longyearbyen.

Home Locations Visited Photos Map Contact Us