The monster beneath!

About 10% of the ice floe is above the water. This one is the size of a large truck, so underneath is about 9 trucks worth. Small boat driver instructions are to keep a safe distance, in case of overturning or breaking off.

High Arctic summer.

A south facing slope and beach, with birds nesting above, produces an impression of lushness and green. Most of it is moss, but there are some patches near the 14th July glacier where grass and flowers grow.

The giant underneath!

About 10% of the ice floe is above the water. This one is the size of a large truck, so underneath is about 9 trucks worth. Small boat driver instructions are to keep a safe distance, in case of overturning or breaking off.

Walrus curiosity.

The walrus are very timid, but curiosity about the visitors got the better of this bloke. He waddled up into the shallows to get a better look.

Arctic terns posing on the sea ice.

Camp Miller or Millerodden, Bellsund.

This in one of the many failed mining operations in Svalbard. Whalebones are the favoured garden ornaments in Svalbard.

Beluga vertebrae at Bourbonhamna.

Bourbonhamna is the site of long ago slaughter of hundreds, maybe thousands of beluga, as they swam into the shallows of Bellsund. They were harvested for their blubber, after the larger whales had been hunted to the point of extinction.

Just hanging out!

Walrus (or walrusses?) generally prefer to haul out on land, but this group of mainly juveniles, were hauled out on a large ice floe, just beside the ship. They appear pretty relaxed, and stayed for quite a while.

Work and play together.

Mother bear is out hunting, looking for food, while the cubs are just having fun, rolling in the snow, and playing hide and seek among the snow boulders.

Northern fulmar.

The northern fulmar is the only representative of the Procellariiformes, or tube nosed birds, present in the northern hemisphere. They drink seawater, and excrete the salt in a concentrated brine from the glands or tubes on top of their bills.

Barentsberg, Svalbard.

One of the accommodation blocks, with the obligatory Soviet patriotic sign, and painted metals flowers.

Art on a grand scale.

Another of the accommodation blocks at Barentsberg, with a four storey painting of Russian traditional dress. Efforts are being made to clean up the village, but there is a long way to go.

Formation flying.

Brunnich's guillemots, heading to or from their nesting cliffs, on a feeding mission.

Lenin

Hornsund, Svalbard.

Nordfjorden, Svalbard.

Clear sky and low light flatter a desolate land and seascape in one of the major fjords of Svalbard.

Calm day at Worsleynesset.

A calm day and falling tide has left stranded ice floes in artistic positions.

Kittiwakes in the spotlight.

Backlit kittiwakes rest on a small floe, with the 14th July glacier as a back drop.

Resting bearded seal.

This seal may have been injured, as we were able to approach a lot closer than usual. Four hundred years of being hunted has made the seals very timid.

Little auks.

These small birds nest in the scree slopes of Svalbard, and fly in and out is large groups at high speed.

Resting kittiwakes.

Dozing kittiwakes on a small berg in Svalbard.