Autumn in the Arctic – during this time of year, we are hoping for beautiful light. Low sun during daytime and endless sunsets. Of course, the sun doesn’t shine at all in Svalbard in November, as the polar night begins at the end of October. The Spitsbergen picture for the November page was taken on a beautiful day at the end of August 2022, on the first ever circumnavigation of Spitsbergen with sailing ship Meander. The weather was really on our side, and then you can go to crazy places where you wouldn’t normally go. Because they are very exposed, because the waters close to the shore are uncharted and shallow.
This is exactly the case in the extensive Diskobukt on Edgeøya. Here, every wave quickly turns into a breaker even before it reaches the shore, and at low tide the propeller whirls in the mud well before you get anywhere near the coast. It is sensible to stay away from such places in everyday life. But not every day is everyday life, and we are not always sensible, are we 😄 otherwise where would we end up … certainly not in this part of Diskobukta! (This is not about the relatively well known kittiwake colony in the northern part of Diskobukta.) Where we were ashore in the evening of this unforgettable day and went for a little hike to and up a low hill. I had seen this hill so many times from a distance as we sailed past and always thought that one day I would have to go there … and this was just the right opportunity! It just has to happen, you can’t force things like that.
Diskobukta on Edgeøya (not the one in west Greenland) is aptly described as ‘vast’ or ‘wide open’. Barren, high arctic, a vast, darkly coloured alluvial plain. Numerous whale bones add variety to the otherwise monotonous landscape impression, and the great light of a beautiful evening at the end of August at around 78 degrees north did its part.
The November-Spitsbergen-image shows Diskobukta on Edgeøya.
I had been there years before. On that occasion: horizontal snow – and a polar bear on the shore. That was great too. But that evening at the end of August, when we were able to go ashore … unforgettable! That’s the stuff my Spitsbergen dreams are made of. It was so beautiful that I realised on the spot that one of the pictures would be in the calendar as soon as possible. ‘Calendar potential’ is the highest photographic standard here 🙂
The other stories are told relatively quickly. In Scoresbysund in East Greenland, the musk ox is roughly what the polar bear is to Spitsbergen: tourists usually want to see them.
Now they usually stand somewhere far away on a mountain slope. It takes a bit of luck to see them up close. And too close is also potentially unhealthy, of course, especially when you are hiking.
One fine day with early winter mood in September in Rypefjord, deep in Scoresbysund, everything was just right: the musk oxen were quite close to the shore and we could see them perfectly well from the boat – the lovely Ópal from Iceland. And very helpful to secure not only some nice views, but actually good photos: I had my 600 millimetre lens with me, the really big one that usually stays in Spitsbergen and lives on the ship rather than being dragged around on land. Just for the polar bears. Or in Greenland for the musk oxen. The effort was worth it here.
The November-picture for Greenland: Musk oxen in Rypefjord.
Of course, I wouldn’t miss the northern lights at the end of the year. December is the deepest polar night, and of course, you just can’t get to the most remote corners of Spitsbergen at this time of year. But why should you, you can see the northern lights wonderfully in Adventdalen, not far from Longyearbyen.
The December-image, Spitsbergen: Northern light above Adventdalen.
Large parts of Greenland, including Scoresbysund, are actually even better for observing the northern lights than Svalbard, where you are already north of the hot aurora zone, the Aurora Oval. Scoresbysund is the right place to be, as there is a lot of action when it only gets dark at night. And due to the more southerly location, this is the case earlier in the year than in Svalbard, September is a pretty reliable month. In this picture we see the northern lights over Bjørneøerne, with the magnificent Øfjord and the striking Grundtvigskirke mountain in the background.
The December-picture, Greenland: northern light over Bjørneøerne.
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.