Friday, 8 July (Part II)
In the meantime, we watched another expedition ship (later identified as the Quest), cruising along the shoreline, taking a close look at one of the many glaciers flowing down to the edge of the water. Why we were sitting so far out, and they were so far in was a hotly debated mystery amongst the passengers who were on the outside decks. My guess is that site limitations required that we keep our distance until that ship left the area.
We had an absolutely gorgeous day for our zodiac outing, with blue skies and sunshine replacing the usual overcast. It was nice seeing the beauty around us in a different light. Once in the zodiac, we zipped around to the far side of the ice and nosed into the edge of the fast ice to give our viewing and photography platforms a bit of stability.
The red coats scour the area for the ice master.
The bears, though at a distance, were a bit closer than the first bear we saw on our voyage. And they were on the move. My guess is they were on the hunt, sniffing around breathing holes for seals, but their prey obviously managed to give them the slip as we didn’t actually see them catch their lunch.
Can you see the creamy bear dots in this icescape?
(hint: look where the mountains and the ice meet in the center of the image.)
Bears on the move … with the help of my long lens and a bit of cropping.
I wonder how high I can jump?
While we were in the zodiacs, those on the ship were having their own bear sighting. For a moment, we thought the bear was going to go right up to the Silver Explorer. In the end, though, it veered off in its quest for capturing a seal instead.
Will the bear go up to the ship? Or not?
OK, so this was a much better encounter with polar bears in their icy world. But once again, for me, the magnificent scenery around us and being up close and personal with the ice were the winning aspects of our zodiac cruise.
Glaucous Gull
Breathtakingly Beautiful.
You think I've got enough equipment around my neck? There's still one camera in
my dry bag, but I thought that would be overkill!
Mui was on the zodiac cruise, too. And he looks like he’s enjoying himself.
The image was naturally monochromatic, so I took away what little color there was
to create a B&W photograph.
Black-Legged Kittiwake
Our hour-long cruise had to end eventually. That’s OK; there was something really fun waiting for us back aboard Silver Explorer. But that’s for another post …
Waiting our turn to disembark the zodiac, we keep a watch out for bears on the ice.
a great day!..nice work on the bear photos!
ReplyDeletenow that is quite the collection of photo equipment you have!..sure hope you don't fall in the water..you would be sure to sink to the bottom with all that weight around your neck!!
Polar bears are no joke. As you probably know, a young englishman was nust killed by one on Svalbard.
ReplyDeleteLooks elgant, though :-)
RuneE: Thanks for the comment. I agree, polar bears are no joke. Which is why I would never consider camping out in the open in Polar Bear Country, as those young people were doing in the incident you mention. Common sense says that's asking for trouble, no matter the precautions taken. The last I read, the guide that was with the group wasn't all that experienced with bears either.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have that long lens - you got some great shots. Also love the b&w with the ice in the foreground. I'm really enjoying your trip!
ReplyDeleteThere are those who say editing photos as you sometimes do is cheating or dishonest. It isn't! It is an opportunity to convey an image of what you saw and what you felt. It isn't cheating anymore than an artist with oils leaving out some details of a scene that don't contribute to the story. Your b&w pix do a great job, whereas sometimes a little color can be distracting. Love your trip!
ReplyDeleteThe B&W landscape with foreground ice is spectacular, you know the one... right below that red Keebler elf.
ReplyDeleteI've been following the Arctic blog and the photos of you and Mui, one in particular of you with all the cameras around your neck in the zodiac......you both look like 'you've died and gone to heaven'!!! The Arctic is so beautiful and your pics breathtaking, I love the reflections. -- IRENE H.
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss this?? Jumped over here from your photo site but don't remember reading this when you posted it. Anyway, great post and photos but it looks REALLY cold. I'm not sire I would want to be in a Zodiac so close to the bears...but they are magnificent creatures.
ReplyDelete