Recherchefjord / Rubypynten

Today, Seabourn Venture had a full day of activities, with two landings at sites on the southern end of Svalbard. The first, Rubypynten, offered views of the beautiful Rechercherbreen, a towering glacier surrounded by steep mountains. The second, Bamsebu at Ingebrigtsenbukta, is a historic site used by whalers during the period of exploitation of Svalbard's wildlife.

Rubypynten, located within Rechercherfjorden on the south side of Bellsund, is a definitive highlight of Svalbard's south. Willem Barentsz and the crew aboard De Witte Swaen are credited as the first to set eyes upon the archipelago, originally naming Bellsund Inwyck, simply meaning 'inlet'. The area was later named by Jonas Poole, a British explorer, sealer and whaler. Due to the abundance of whales there, it subsequently became of great interest to whalers from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The two nations disputed the region, with the British appropriating the land and its whaling station in 1616.

Rechercherfjorden is a stunning fjord between two high mountain ranges that reach heights of over 500m. Upon arrival at the landing site, the Expedition Team marked a straight route across the flat terrain, culminating at the glacial lake. The walk was undemanding and easily completed, with wildlife present throughout the morning.

An Arctic fox slinked through the region and caught the eye of many of the bear guards, who witnessed a flash of movement across the flat ground. Reindeer grazed the whole day along the eastern banks while various bird species were documented, and even a lonely walrus swam close to the ship.

The walking tour of the glacier allowed each guest the freedom to explore independently and become fascinated with particular things that caught their attention. In some cases, this was the distinctive glacial moraines and the deep crevasses atop the glacier's surface; for others, it was the brilliant blue that emanated from within or the landscape as a whole.Read more