Billy Heaney's Svalbard Expedition Log: Exploring the High Arctic Aboard Expedition Ship Ocean Albatros

Far beyond mainland Norway, between the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole, lies Svalbard, one of the most remote and wildlife-rich destinations on Earth. Over the coming days, ExplorEarth's Billy Heaney will document every stage of an expedition aboard Ocean Albatros, exploring glaciers, ice-filled fjords, and some of the planet's most spectacular polar wilderness.

All we know is what he 'could' see in terms of wildlife, from polar bear encounters and walrus colonies to incredible birds, seals and cetaceans.

Dramatic fjords, glaciers and remote landings are guaranteed, however, and this daily expedition log offers a behind-the-scenes look at life in the High Arctic. Follow along as Billy reports directly from the field, sharing wildlife sightings, expedition highlights, photography and first-hand insights from one of the world's most extraordinary adventure travel experiences. Billy is sending us an update every day of his trip, posted exclusively here. 

Touchdown in Longyearbyen and what a start to my Arctic adventure with Polar Latitudes Expeditions, ExplorEarth and Swoop Arctic.

Just moments after getting off the bus I encountered my first Svalbard reindeer wandering through the town, while snow buntings bounced from roof to roof. At the edge of town, I caught up with a flock of Svalbard barnacle geese on their summer breeding grounds. This was particularly exciting, as only a few months ago, I was watching them back in Scotland as they were overwintering at WWT Caerlaverock.

As we set sail aboard the Ocean Albatros in the late afternoon, we were treated to a few walrus hauled out along the coast, along with great numbers of kittiwakes, fulmars, guillemots, puffins and little auks, all before we passed Barentsburg and ventured out into deeper water.

My second day day in the high Arctic began with wall-to-wall sunshine and mirror-calm seas as the Ocean Albatros continued north along the west coast of Spitsbergen. The morning was spent preparing for the adventures ahead with zodiac briefings and polar bear safety talks, though the wildlife had other ideas, treating us to a brief but exciting encounter with a pod of white-beaked dolphins that were heading out into deeper water.

By late morning we were exploring Magdalenefjorden by zodiac, weaving between impressive icebergs that were glowing in shades of blue beneath the Arctic sun. Black guillemots perched and argued amongst the ice while harbour seals rested along the rocky shoreline, unbothered by our presence. We later landed at Gravnesodden, home to one of Svalbard’s largest historic whaling cemeteries. Around 130 graves remain here, dating from the early 1600s through to the late 1700s, while the foundation remains of several blubber ovens on the beach stand as reminders of the area’s whaling past.

Walrus were a constant feature throughout the day, with several spotted feeding offshore and a few more hauled out in the distance as we continued north. Later we cruised through Smeerenburgfjorden before rounding the north western tip of Spitsbergen as the sun began to disappear behind the clouds.

Just when it seemed the day was coming to an end, an announcement at 11:30pm sent everyone rushing back on deck. A polar bear had been spotted in the distance. Or so we thought. It quickly became apparent that there wasn’t one bear at all, but three! One was tucked up in the snow having a snooze, a second much larger bear seemed to be in a food coma and was spread out on the ice, whilst a third, far more playful bear, washed the blood from its face in the shallows and began playing with drift wood.

We watched from a distance and I used my 600mm lens and tele-converted to film the bears from the deck. A few screen grabs of the footage can be seen below.

Safe to say, I slept incredibly well afterwards.

Strong winds scuppered our morning plans, but we had an incredible afternoon zodiac cruise around Alicehamna.

The cliffs were alive with thousands of guillemots, while barnacle geese nested on tiny rocky islets scattered along the shoreline. The real star of the show, however, was a busy Arctic fox. We watched as it tirelessly patrolled the colony, scrambling effortlessly up near-vertical cliffs in search of eggs before carrying its prizes back towards its den, perhaps to feed its hungry cubs below.

The afternoon was topped off by a Top Gun-esque fly by small flock of King Eiders. Top duck.

Welcome to Alkefjellet, or as it roughly translates auk city or guillemot mountain! These staggering 100 metre cliffs are home to 60,000 pairs of Brunnichs guillemots. This was hands down one the most incredible bird watching experiences I’ve ever had, it’s just a place you don’t want to spend too much time looking up with your with your mouth open….

We also took the zodiacs over to Gimlebreen glacier, named after the Norse God Gimle, as this was where the gods dwelled after the Ragnorak destruction of the world. We didn’t find them, but we did see two walrus taking it very easy out on the ice.

A day amongst the pack ice. Something I’ve dreamed of seeing since I was a little kid, and what a special day it was. The sound of ice breaking as the Ocean Albatros sliced through it like butter was absolutely incredible.

The Arctic sun spoiled us once again as we continued to scan the ice for signs of wildlife. The bears proved too elusive for us, but we had some great views of bearded seals hauled out, taking it easy; several minke whales surfaced amongst the ice; and kittiwakes accompanied us for most of the day.

Pretty sobering to think that by 2050, the Arctic could become almost ice-free during the summer months.

Glaciers, belugas, and polar plunges. Top day exploring Liefdefjorden with Polar Latitudes Expeditions, the Arctic just keeps on delivering.

Today we stepped ashore at Ny-Ålesund, one of the world’s northernmost settlements and a place where Arctic history, Svalbard reindeer, and modern science sit side by side. Originally established by the Kings Bay Company in 1916 as a mining town, Ny-Ålesund is now operated as an international research hub. Around 200 people call it home during the summer months, though that number drops to around 40 hardy residents through the long Arctic winter.

Following a series of fatal mining accidents, operations ceased in 1963, and just a year later, the settlement's focus shifted towards science with the establishment of the Norwegian Polar Institute. Today, researchers from around the world come here to study everything from birds, marine biology and geology to climate change and astronomy.

Ny-Ålesund is perhaps best known as the departure point for some of the greatest polar expeditions in history. Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth and Umberto Nobile launched the airship Norge from here in May 1926. Described as a Norwegian dream, made possible by Italian engineering and funded by American dollars, the 100-metre-long airship completed an extraordinary 5,300-kilometre journey over the North Pole to Alaska in 70 hours of continuous flight.

Later in the afternoon, it was time for our final zodiac cruise to watch nesting puffins, and we had the bonus of finding a leucistic barnacle goose!