We spent 15 nights on the Grand Explorer, a luxury ice-strengthened expedition ship sailing out of Longyearbyen, the tiny capital of Norway-administered Svalbard. My expectations for this trip were quite low - new regulations in Svalbard's waters stipulate that in the summer months you are not allowed to go within 300 metres of a Polar Bear. These regulations are controversial as they seem perhaps to be aimed at controlling tourism rather than anything to do with Polar Bear welfare and conservation. But they mean that in Svalbard's waters, quality Polar Bear photography is almost impossible. Fortunately we were able to travel up to the Arctic Pack Ice, well north of Svalbard, and therefore in International Waters. We had numerous excellent Polar Bear encounters, helped this year by the large numbers of Harp Seals near the edge of the ice. The seals are great prey for the bears, thereby attracting many of them to the area.

My thanks to Expedition Leader Rinie, Guide Szymon and Waterproof Expeditions for putting on this excellent Arctic adventure.