Cruise Day 6 - 1 bear, then mama & cub + male

The ship is still in the same place this morning with the engine off. We learn that this is not due to any mechanical problems, but rather that the captain decided to hang around to see what the polar bear is doing, and the noises we heard last night were just routine maintenance. The bear, however, remains uncooperative, and at 06:30 we start up and move off, in search of what else nature can offer us.

I spend the morning on the top deck enjoying the sunshine and the scenery: ice as far as the eye can see. Beyond that, some several thousands of miles away is Alaska. There are a few birds, and in the distance, a bearded seal basks on the ice. I spend some time photographing the textures on the ice.

Kittiwake

Having a bit of fun with ICM (intentional Camera Movement)

As you can see from the flag, there is no wind this morning

Mikel, the chief officer, in the hot tub

A lone seal on a distant ice floe

Kittiwake

Bear No. 11

After lunch of leftovers from yesterday, David retires to the cabin for a siesta, and just five minutes later news comes that Freya, Origo's sister ship, has a bear close by and has invited us over. There is a lot of friendly rivalry between our guides, Vide and Svein, and the guide on Freya, Jens, who is a good friend of theirs. Twenty minutes later we pull up alongside the other ship and spot our pixel bear (Vide's name for a bear that has been seen but is so far away that he is not worth wasting many pixels on.

MS Freya, Origo's sister ship

Some nice reflections

There is a bear in this photo, trust me!

We can tell from the way the passengers on this ship do not even seem to have their cameras out, that there is not much going on.

We stay and wait. And wait. He shifts around a bit, then goes back to sleep, And repeat. Some time later he gets up, has a poop, and goes back to bed. More shifting, rolling, sniffing. I set up the tripod with Bertha (my 600mm lens) and a 1.4 ext ready for any action. Eventually, the bear gets up and starts walking around for some considerable time, giving us a lot of opportunities for photography.

The captain manages to maneuvre the ship closer to the bear, giving us better conditions for photography.

"Does my bum look big in this?"

Dinner and bears 12 and 13

The starter this evening is a very nice broccoli soup with bacon. I share a table with Svein and Jeanette, facing the back door. Gustav nips in and out of the door getting drinks for the passengers – and after the fourth time, his face pops around the door with a perplexed look on his face, and he struggles to get his words out to the point of stammering: 'Sorry to interrupt, but, but, but.... there are two bears chasing the ship...'.

What?

Absolute chaos ensues, with sixteen people jumping up, grabbing their camera gear and coats, and heading outside. Sure enough, there is a mama and her cub running, right towards us, jumping, swimming, standing up, splashing in the water, turning to look behind them, appearing to be very scared.

Then we see him: the large male bear from earlier. He is chasing them. Oh my goodness!

Their pitiful cries really tear at our heartstrings, and the whole experience is so surreal that I hold my breath, not believing that this is really playing out in front of us.

It almost seems like the bears – the cub in particular – are looking at us to save them, the way he stares at the ship and cries. My heart cannot take any more, it is such an emotional experience.

Suddenly the male bear pops his head up from behind a mound of snow, quite close to the mother and cub. Once again I hold my breath, as they spot him and literally run for their lives!

Not every jump goes to plan, and Baby misses his landing, making an impressive bellyflop

The shape of the bear's back in this photo reminds me very much of a hyena

Run guys, run. Run like you've never run before!

We all let out a collective sigh when they manage to increase the distance between them and the male; and eventually, the big bad male bear gives up.

He hangs around near MS Freya, whose passengers are still photographing the mama and cub.

This is the time for us to return to our dinner, especially as a burnt smell emits from the kitchen. Thankfully is is just an empty pan, not our food. We get cod in a prawn sauce. With boiled potatoes, of course (a Scandivanian obsession).

Jeanette and Svein have both left the table by the time Ellen's famous chocolate orange balls arrive, leaving all the more for me and David, who has now joined me. The next table left some balls, too, and when Ellen is clearing the tab later, she brings them over. This evening has been death by polar bears and chocolate. We go to bed very satiated.

This has got to have been the most exciting day on a most exciting trip. Thank you very much to Arctic Wildlife Tours for arranging this amazing adventure and making a long-time dream of mine come true.