ice and isolation in the high Arctic

Kayaking in Svalbard among the icebergs of Hamiltonbukta showed us the true magic and magnitude of nature in the Arctic

Sometimes, I hear myself talking about my job and think, “God, I sound ridiculous.” It’s usually when I’m rattling on about where I’ve been and have to check myself, remembering that most people aren’t fortunate enough to visit places like the Galápagos or Easter Island – let alone both in a single trip.

Recently, one of these occasions cropped up when I was wriggling into a heavy-duty dry suit in preparation for our kayaking excursion in Svalbard. A fellow passenger asked me if I had done this before and I explained that, unfortunately, I had missed out on a kayaking excursion earlier in the year in Antarctica because of Covid-related restrictions.

“You were in Antarctica this year?” she cut in. “And now, you’re in the Arctic?”

“Um, yeah,” I said sheepishly. “It’s been a good year.”

I realised how preposterous it sounds not only to see two polar regions in a calendar year but to be disappointed that I didn’t manage to kayak during one of these once-in-a-lifetime trips.

Visiting Antarctica was a watershed moment for us. It was the only continent we hadn’t visited – our seventh – and a twice-delayed adventure we’d been planning for over two years. In the end, it was everything we had hoped it would be: wild, isolated, beautiful, enormous, and home to some of the most extraordinary animal life we have seen. It became our greatest travel experience – one we will savour for years to come.

However, no matter how churlish it may sound, I did leave Antarctica with one regret: I didn’t get to kayak.

As such, during our first presentation aboard our 8-day expedition to Svalbard, our expedition leader mentioned that if we wanted to kayak, we should sign up with Wan, the ship’s Kayak Master.

We quickly sought out Wan (who, incidentally, had been on our Antarctic voyage) and put our names down. The next evening, we attended the mandatory safety briefing for kayakers, followed by a fitting for our dry suit, splash deck, gloves and booties and then… we waited.

The days slipped past as, first, poor weather put paid to a chance to kayak, then a polar bear sighting meant we had other things on our minds and then…