B is for Bear Island or Bjørnøya

In the distance is Bear Island or Bjørnøya which is 397 kilometers north of Norway’s Nordkap, and 235kms south of Svarlbard in the Barents Sea, which as you approach it, appears to be an incredibly diverse chunk of isolated rock perched in the middle of the ocean. Bear Island was discovered by the Dutch explorers Willem Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerck on 10 June 1596. The island was named after a lone polar bear that was seen swimming near the island. Currently stray bears may make it their home during winter as they can get there on the pack ice, however, they tend to move on when the ice melts as the territory is not particularly nourishing for bears all year round. In1920 the island was placed under Norwegian sovereignty. On the north east side of the island the oil and gas fields in the Barents sea threaten the ecology of the island. The island is a Nature Reserve with an operational meteorological station run by 9 people through the year. When you look at pictures of the map of the island it looks like a triangular lace doily as the land is so interspersed with inland lakes which rich in Arctic Char, family of the salmon. The rock formations are staggering to see, spires and layered cliff faces, arch ways of rock that have been folded and pushed up along faults from the sea bed over time. Erosion from the wind and wild sea that rushes around the island has sculptured dramatic shapes. When we have visited our crew have gone fishing as you just have to touch the surface of the water with your line and an obliging cod jumps on, the black legged kittiwakes and gulls love the feed when fish are being cleaned on the aft deck. We have encountered puffins nesting on the cliffs as well as a large number of gulls, guillemots even ducks and geese. Bear Island is home to more than 1.5 million breeding pairs of birds.

In May 2009 a Russian icebreaker ran aground and has had to be left in place as it is too dangerous to move. It lies beneath a steep cliff that encounters frequent rock slides as well as being home to many nesting birds. Right after the “Petrozavodsk” ran aground a number of dead and injured sea birds were found near the wreck which had 54 cubic meters of oil as well as other petroleum substances on board. All dangerous substances have since been removed. Both the captain and mate of the vessel were charged with breaking the Maritime Code by drinking while on duty. Satellite tracks showed that the vessel held a steady course straight towards the shore before the accident.

We have had many interesting zodiac cruises around Bear Island and when there, I am reminded of how small we are in the scheme of things.