Lisa G Saw • July 21, 2016

Polar Bears In The Arctic

At sea on a photographic adventure around the Svalbard Archipelago

Norway 2016

In July 2016 I went on an amazing 14 day Polar Bear Photographic Expedition to Svalbard, Norway with Paul Goldstein and One Ocean Expeditions and one of my friends. This truly was a once in a lifetime, memorable experience and didn't disappoint! Paul had said in his email to us just before the trip, get plenty of sleep before you come! We would have 24 hours of daylight and the plan was to use as much of it as possible!

We had two days of travelling to get to/from Longyearbyen, Svalbard – the most northerly permanent populated town in the world. They were not the best two experiences I’ve had and I wouldn’t recommend Scandinavian Airlines or Oslo Airport as a result, however, we got there eventually via Oslo and Tromso.

We had a brief walk around Longyearbyen on arrival (and longer on our return). I was not expecting it to be 12°C! (By the way, at this point we were 3,043km from London). There isn’t much to the old mining town; a museum, art gallery and a few shops and cafés, pretty much all along one main street. On the return leg we did enjoy a lovely walk along the shoreline, spotting lots of birds and enjoying some amazing reflections of the mountains in the water. Since it was summer, cars were seen on the roads, but you could tell this was a different place during winter by the sheer volume of snow mobiles parked on the grass.

We had a brief walk around Longyearbyen on arrival (longer on our return). I wasn't expecting it to be 12°C! (By the way, we were 3,043km from London). There isn’t much to the old mining town; a museum, art gallery and a few shops and cafés, pretty much all along one main street. On the return leg we enjoyed a lovely walk along the shoreline, spotting lots of birds and enjoying some amazing reflections of the mountains in the water. Since it was summer, cars were seen on the roads, but you could tell this was a different place during winter by the sheer volume of snow mobiles parked on the grass.

To board the Vavilov we had to travel out in groups of 10 on the inflatable zodiacs, which would later be used for our daytime excursions whilst at sea. This heightened our excitement for the trip. In reality, for a good couple of days, everything felt really surreal. I couldn’t believe I was actually there after a year and a half of waiting! We were to spend 10 full days at sea and this ship was fabulous. We had a great cabin on Deck 4 right in the centre of the boat, which meant everything was quick and easy to access, as we were nearest the stairs. We could walk along the corridor and be straight out on the bow of the ship, which was fabulous for our wildlife sightings, it was down to Deck 3 for the dining room, mud room - in preparation for our zodiac trips - and the stearn of the ship. It was up to Deck 6 for the bar/lounge, bridge and upper outdoor viewing decks, where I spent the majority of my time. Our cabin was cosy with 2 beds, a desk, plenty of storage space and a private toilet and shower wet room. They provided dressing gowns, towels, shampoo and conditioner etc, tissues, tea/coffee and kettle, binoculars and a wildlife reference book along with gumboots, waterproof bag and wet weather gear!

The weather was much milder than I’d expected (all part of the climate change problem however) and not very windy, which was good news for me as the seas weren’t too rough. We had a full day at sea on the first Monday and I did suffer a little from seasickness, but managed to sleep it off for a few hours in the afternoon. Towards the end of the trip it got rough again but I still was able to survive without taking any of the medication I’d brought with me! The worst place was going up or down the stairs in the centre of the boat, without any windows! One evening when we were in the bar, the lilt and sway of the boat meant I couldn’t walk in a straight line from the bar to the table, making it look as though I was very drunk! An added challenge when trying to carefully carry two drinks back without spilling them! (As an aside, when we landed back in Longyearbyen after the trip, I did feel like I was still at sea and had quite a few moments when I felt wobbly on my feet! A very strange experience!)

The weather was milder than I’d expected and not too windy, which meant the seas weren’t too rough. On the first full day at sea I suffered a little from seasickness, but managed to sleep it off in the afternoon. Only towards the end of the trip did it get rough again, but I survived without taking any medication! One evening, when we were in the bar, the lilt and sway of the boat meant I couldn’t walk in a straight line from the bar to my table - I must've looked drunk, especially trying to carry two drinks! Weirdly, when we were back on terra firma, I felt like I was still at sea and had quite a few moments when I felt wobbly on my feet! A very strange experience!

Food was plentiful, regular and pretty good so we were never going to go hungry! We always had 3 choices of main course at dinner and lots of varied desserts. We even had tea late in the afternoon. My friend and I made a point of sitting at a different table at each mealtime, talking to different people, which was great. Virtually everyone was friendly and mingled and it was nice to meet likeminded travellers. In fact, meal times were sometimes how we knew what time of day it was because the sun was always up! I have to say I really enjoyed this aspect. In the evening when we would come back to our room after dinner there was always a chocolate on our pillow, the curtains had been drawn and the low lights over our beds were on instead of the main light and this was how they tried to prepare you for sleep!

We managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep most nights but we did have early morning wake up calls sometimes 5.30 or 6am for some of the zodiac excursions to make the most of the day. We were also woken up if there were interesting wildlife sightings and this did happen! We'd headed up along the west coast of Spitsbergen and beyond the islands to reach the pack ice, which had retreated to 81°N that year (because it was a very mild winter, the Arctic sea ice wintertime extent reached a record low, the second year in a row). We had travelled further north than I was expecting and we were just over 100miles away from the North Pole! One of my main concerns about the trip was whether or not we'd actually see a polar bear! With wildlife, there are no guarantees! But, within one hour of reaching the pack ice, at 5.15 in the morning we were woken a little earlier than planned - the first polar bear had been spotted!

We managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep most nights but we did have early morning wake up calls sometimes 5.30 or 6am for some of the zodiac excursions to make the most of the day. We were also woken up if there were interesting wildlife sightings and this did happen! We'd headed up along the west coast of Spitsbergen and beyond the islands to reach the pack ice, which had retreated to 81°N that year (because it was a very mild winter, the Arctic sea ice wintertime extent reached a record low, the second year in a row). We had travelled further north than I was expecting and we were just over 100miles away from the North Pole! One of my main concerns about the trip was whether or not we'd actually see a polar bear! There are no guarantees with wildlife! But, within one hour of reaching the pack ice, at 5.15 in the morning we were woken a little earlier than planned - the first polar bear had been spotted!

I ought to mention how fabulous the One Ocean Expedition staff were. They were on constant vigil looking out for the wildlife, taking shifts and swapping over, so even through the night (remember it’s still light) they were glued to their binoculars and telescopes. They were all so knowledgeable in their field and we had several talks during the course of our trip. They would sit with us during the meals and get to know us and vice versa and they were so friendly and helpful. A truly brilliant staff, so much so I’d travel on this ship with this company again.

Back to the bears…yes we saw lots of them…I think we saw about 10, but to be honest we kind of lost count! How crazy is that. Each encounter was different and sometimes better than the one before. You never forget your first sighting and it was special. This cream coloured bear was sleeping on a small ice floe in the distance. As we neared him he could smell us and he popped his head up, then stood up. I don’t know how many minutes or hours we were watching him, we were all mesmerized. He had a little walk, took another nap, jumped over a few ice floes and eventually swam away. We got to see bears feeding (not hunting) covering their food in ice (something rarely witnessed) rolling around in the ice trying to cool down, grooming (they’re very clean animals) yawning, sticking out it’s tongue (it uses it for smell), and swimming, then shaking off the water afterwards. We even got to see polar bears at the same time, when a younger female had smelt a seal from miles away.

We got to see bears feeding (not hunting) covering their food in ice (something rarely witnessed) rolling around in the ice trying to cool down, grooming (they’re very clean animals) yawning, sticking out it’s tongue (it uses it for smell), and swimming, then shaking off the water afterwards. We even got to see polar bears at the same time, when a younger female had smelt a seal from miles away. Their story played out over several hours.

Polar bears will scavenge dead carcasses. The young female was definitely hungry, but the big male wasn't finished. We witness the female’s submissive behaviour, trying to approach, then backing away, lying down low. She must have been desperately hungry because she didn’t wait until the male had finished to try and approach again, jumping from floe to floe until they were eventually on the same one. But, there is a hierarchy (it wouldn’t have turned out so well for her if she had challenged him) and she had to wait until the male had finally finished eating all the blubber it could get before slipping into the water allowing the female to rush over and eat whatever left overs she could.

We witnessed the female’s submissive behaviour (there is a hierarchy), trying to approach the larger male, then backing away, lying down low. She must've been desperately hungry because she didn’t wait until he'd finished before approaching again, jumping from floe to floe until they were eventually on the same one. But, she didn't challenge him, she simply waited until the male had finished eating all the blubber and he'd slipped into the sea, allowing the female to rush over and eat whatever left overs she could scavenge.

Some of the bears were very inquisitive and came towards the ship to sniff us out (they don’t have good eye sight) and the very last one we saw walked to within 2m of the ship, along the side of the hull and then around the bow. With all 93 of us, plus staff and crew, scrambling to get a good look at this young female, we were in awe of how close we were to her (about 5m). I never thought I would have a photo where the bear filled the frame. This was the most wonderful lasting memory I have of the polar bears and this trip.

The captain and his crew were amazing at manoeuvring the ship in the pack ice. The Vavilov is extremely well stabilized (great for rough waters) and very quiet, so in stealth like movements we inched forward, so as not to scare the polar bears. Of course, with the unpredictability of the wildlife sightings this meant mealtimes were often moved around, which you could imagine was a real pain for the kitchen staff, but they did a fabulous job. One time lunch was about 3pm I seem to recall. Another time we ate our main course at dinner, then headed out to see an approaching polar bear, and later we had time to go back for dessert. Admittedly, many either forgot or couldn’t tear themselves away from the bear! On the evening of the two bears that came close to each other, we ended up having our dinner as a bbq outside on the deck!

The captain and his crew were amazing at manoeuvring the ship in the pack ice. The Vavilov is extremely well stabilized (great for rough waters) and very quiet, so in stealth like movements we inched forward, so as not to scare the polar bears, like when we approached our first polar bear. Of course, with the unpredictability of the wildlife sightings, sometimes mealtimes had to be moved around, which you could imagine was a real pain for the kitchen staff, but they did a fabulous job.

One time lunch was about 3pm I seem to recall. Another time we ate our main course at dinner, then headed out to see an approaching polar bear, and later we had time to go back for dessert. Admittedly, many either forgot or couldn’t tear themselves away from the bear! On the evening of the two bears that came close to each other, we ended up having our dinner as a bbq outside on the deck!

Although polar bears were the main focus for our voyage (we spent 4 days in total up at the pack ice looking for them) we also saw lots of other wildlife. There were countless bird sightings (Little Auks, Arctic Terns, Fulmars, Guillemots, Ivory Gulls, Glaucous Gulls and Puffins) though the massive seabird colony at Alkefjellet was particularly impressive with towering cliffs that loomed over the water. The sight, sound and smell of millions of seabirds was unforgettable. I was ecstatic to see my first ever Atlantic Puffin out at sea, early one morning, especially as it was flying above a Bowhead Whale just at the point when water expelled through its blow hole. Even the fact we saw two of these whales was amazing because they're rare - only 10 had been spotted in those waters due to over hunting - and even the staff were thrilled. Whilst we were enjoying that, a Blue Whale was spotted further away in another direction. I didn't know where to look! Aside from these two species, we also saw Minke and Beluga whales, plus several seals lying on ice floes (though none were especially close) and, on one of our landings, there were reindeer grazing. Other people saw a female Arctic Fox and her three cubs on that excursion, which sadly I didn't see, but there was another adult seen high up on the cliffs at the seabird colony, which was unexpected.

I was ecstatic to see my first ever Atlantic Puffin out at sea, early one morning, especially as it was flying above a Bowhead Whale just at the point when water expelled through its blow hole. Even seeing the whales was amazing because they're rare in these parts due to over hunting. Even the staff were thrilled! It didn't end there! Whilst we were watching the Bowhead Whales swim alongside us in tandem, periodically resurphacing and leaving a trail of 'footprints' in the water (still circles of water), a Blue Whale was spotted further away in another direction. I didn't know where to look!

Aside from these two species, we also saw Minke and Beluga whales, plus several seals lying on ice floes (though none were especially close) and, on one of our landings, there were reindeer grazing. Other people saw a female Arctic Fox and her three cubs on that excursion, which sadly I didn't see, but there was another adult seen high up on the cliffs at the seabird colony, which was unexpected.

But the trip wasn’t all about the wildlife. The landscape was also dramatic and beautiful and this was part of the reason why we wanted to come to Norway to view the polar bears. The islands were very mountainous and we saw so many glaciers (I’ve never seen so many – sadly all of course retreating due to global warming). There were lots of icebergs floating in the water near the glaciers. We didn’t witness any calving but saw a few ‘bits’ dropping off and splashing into the water. We managed to do some landings on the islands, which was a great opportunity to properly stretch our legs. Some of the rocks were covered in lichen, showing the first signs of life where the ice had retreated. It was also amazing to see tiny flowers growing on the barren looking land. In it’s own way the pack ice and the melting ice floes were equally as beautiful. Along the horizon was the expanse of the pack ice, which extends to the North Pole and beyond to the Canadian Arctic and Russia. Closer to us were broken fragments of the ice floating slowly away. There was a calmness here that was amazingly peaceful. We were so far away from civilisation, living in what felt like a little bubble, not caring about what else was going on in the world. Though the bubble would burst soon enough, enjoying the long days, watching the wildlife and the ice pass us by, was a joy and an amazing privilege to experience.

See photos...

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Books and Courses

By Lisa G Saw • March 11, 2026

THE FIRST SET OF BOOKS AND COURSES THAT HAVE HELPED ME ON MY JOURNEY I began this blog series, Living My The Best Life Possible , back in 2022 after a series of events, and a couple of chronic injuries, quite literally stopped me in my tracks. Having followed conventional approaches to try and turn things around, but to no avail, I felt compelled to seek out help from alternative approaches. I opened my mind to the possibility they could help me, taking a more holistic approach to my healing. Along my journey, I've done some serious soul searching, dug deep to uncover suppressed and hidden trauma, and held a mirror up to myself, realising there were things I needed to let go of and much I needed to change. It's been uncomfortable at times and emotional, but completely worthwhile, as I've worked through things and persevered. Awareness was key . From that I had the power to change my thought patterns and my view of the world. I know all my relationships are better for it, including the one I have with myself, and I wouldn't be where I am today without what I've learned. I've discovered there are many different ways to heal and I've been amazed by what I've learned. It's been surprising, uplifting and most of all, empowering. Along this journey I've been led from one book to another, then another, and on it goes. Sometimes the books have been recommended to me by family, friends or health practitioners, other times they've merely been mentioned in passing or in another book, and I've felt as though it was something that could help me further my knowledge and understanding. In many ways, they were like signs guiding me along at just the right moment when I needed them. My curiosity to learn more has led to a voracious appetite to read, which I've never experienced before. I love it! I feel like I'm on a fast train to somewhere, but the landscape out of the window isn't a blur as I whizz by, metaphorically speaking, but a glorious view of the world around me, simply seen from a new perspective. There is still much I wish to share in this blog series about my experience, in the hope it helps others and not just myself. But, it will take time to write it all whilst I'm still working. So, in the meantime, I decided to share some of the most significant books that have helped me along the way. It isn't the full list, by any means. For now, I'm only including a brief summary and snapshot of the significance to me, but hopefully this will be interesting and/or useful. Perhaps one of them will grab your attention and be something you might wish to read to help you on your own unique journey. I will continue to add to this list gradually, and new entries will appear at the bottom of the post, so scroll down if you're returning to this post and go directly to where you left off. You can also see a list of all the books that will eventually be mentioned in this blog by clicking on the button below.

February 26

By Lisa G Saw • March 10, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Bob and I have visited West Rise Marsh a few times this month to look for Jack Snipe, but sadly without much success. We did see one, we think, on one visit, but it flew off before we set eyes on it. It's much the same with the Common Snipe, which as their name suggests, we see more of, but they're super skittish and fly off well before we're even close to where they're hiding, around the boggy wet marshes. With so many wet, windy and dull days, plus the fact I still have to go to work, I was starting to wonder if my February Highlights would be virtually non existent, so I was content with photographing and observing a Heron, standing in the water. They can stand motionless for ages, and move very slowly, stealth-like through the water to new areas. Unfortunately, I was just moving into a new position, when it actually caught a fish. I missed capturing that moment when its head quickly and unexpectedly darted downwards and snatched its prey from the water. But, you can see the Heron in mid-gulp (first photo).

January 26

By Lisa G Saw • February 7, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS January can be a difficult month for many people. I don't usually suffer from the January Blues, but I did notice this year I felt a certain flatness. I think it was largely because there were days when Bob and I would go out for a walk and hardly see anything at all. Well, that is, anything out of the ordinary. There's no doubting it - I get a real lift when nature reveals its beauty to me in its many wonderful and surprising ways. But, it's been a good reminder that even the simple things can give great pleasure if we take the time to appreciate them. Sometimes, it's worth looking with more careful eyes and appreciating even the ordinary. The year actually was off to a great start, when the snow fell early on in the month. I love the snow! I'll leap at any opportunity I have to walk in it! Living close to the coast meant we didn't have any on our doorstep, but Ashdown Forest had a good covering and it wasn't too far away to visit. Even the car park looked lovely, with the sun shining through the wintry trees on this gorgeous sunny day. It might have been crisp and cold, but we were dressed for it and of course had some welcome hot drinks after our walk. The highlight of the day, aside from the snow, was having some brief glimpses of a couple of Crossbills at the top of the fir trees, though not as good as we'd had in December .