I've lost track of what day it is...July 22, maybe. There was a Zodiac excursion in the morning, which we skipped, but something finally dragged us off the ship in the afternoon, and that was what was described as "a walk to see walrus". Now, we had anticipated that we might see walrus on this trip....but to WALK to them?? Are they not large and dangerous??
Anyway...there's a point of land that they are known to "haul out" onto for naps and social time, and it is indeed possible to walk to within maybe 50 meters and just hang out with them for 15 minutes. So we bundled up well and off we went. It was maybe about 40F/4C and a light breeze.
The landscape was quite flat, and we had a "stretch your legs" walk along the beach and a sort of tidal lagoon. There were some shorebirds, a bit too far for our cameras to get good pics, and apparently a reindeer across the lagoon, but we never actually managed to locate it.
After stretching our legs, we got back to where the first group was finishing with the walrus. Christophe gave us a talk about protocol--Svalbard permits these visits, but only under strict rules. Don't get too close, don't make noise, don't stay too long. So our group of 50 or so walked as quietly as possible (waterproof pants are NOISY!) to the viewing area, and the folks in the front rows knelt down so everyone could get clear shots. No talking, only the quiet click of camera shutters.
It was pretty amazing to be so close to these giants, although it would have been nice if they were a bit more active. It was obviously nap-time. One guy at the far right was having trouble getting comfortable. He tried this side, that side, sat up for a while, rolled onto his back, then his tummy, and eventually rolled right into the sea. I've had nights like that myself (except for rolling into the sea...)!
Aww...sleepy walruses! I did not think you guys would be able to get so close to them and on land. I had imagined you might get a view from them off the ship. I checked out the PBS site you included. Never knew how they ate, very interesting.
ReplyDeleteTo think something that big exists solely on clams....mind-boggling how many clams there must be in the world, if a walrus eats that many every day!
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