The kayaking

The way the kayaking generally works is that the kayaks will be loaded into the water by hand (by the Russian crew), and we enter the kayaks from a Zodiac tied up next to the anchored Prof. Molchanov. The Russians and sometimes Frode stabilize the kayaks while we enter the boats. The loading Zodiac is then piloted by a lone Russian who discreetly trails us, ready to pluck us from the polar waters should we flip or otherwise get into trouble. Generally, kayaking happens in parallel with the balance 40 passengers being loaded onto the other 4 Zodiacs for shore landings or Zodiac cruises.

Frode and I wear drysuits, which allow us to be in the polar water for quite some time, should we need to be. The others wear wetsuits with clothing underneath (!). They would be kept warm enough to be rescued should they fall in.

Frequently when you’re actually in the sea, penguins torpedo through water under and around you, and often “purpoise” right in front of you (think of porpoises or dolphins and how they pop out of the water as they are swimming.) It’s common to bump into “bergy bits” of ice while navigating around. Small ones are OK, but man-sized ones should be avoided so as not to damage the kayaks, or destabilize you from the impact.

The polar waters are dark and sort of clear, but when you are next to a large piece of ice, the light blue color of the underwater part of the ice (which is the bulk of the ice, right?) makes the water a spectacular swimming pool blue. It’s really something to be sitting in ice water, stopping paddling for a moment to listen. There is always some gentle sound: metallic clinking together of collections of small ice bits, cracking and popping of larger pieces, waves lapping the shore, or more commonly, waves breaking upon icebergs themselves which makes a different kind of noise. We keep our distance from glacial faces or large bergs, and ice could dump into the sea at any moment. Also icebergs can rotate and flip over as they melt and erode. When these things happen, a large wave can swamp your boat.

Frode made me a little nervous at our one of our briefings by cautioning us to hold our hands and arms in towards our chests if we see leopard seals nearby…