Oceanwide Expeditions

Bear Island

Bear Island, or Bjørnøya in Norwegian, is the southernmost island of the Spitsbergen archipelago. It is located in the Barents Sea, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) north of Norway and about 225 kilometres (140 miles) south of Spitsbergen. The island is approximately 20 kilometres long and 15,5 kilometres wide (12 by 10 miles). The northern part of the island lies only 30 to 40 metres (100 to 130 feet) above sea level and is rather flat with numerous small lakes. The southern part is mountainous, the highest top being the Mysseryfjellet (536 metres, 1758 feet). The southern coast consists mainly of high cliffs, up to 400 metres (1300 feet) high, that are occupied by thousands of guillemots.

Bear Island was probably discovered by the Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz in 1596. The name Bear Island was given by this expedition as a Polar Bear was seen swimming nearby. Soon after the discovery by Barentsz, British walrus hunters visited the island, taking home big loads of walrus tusks, skins and oil. Throughout the 17^th and 18^th century Bear Island was a base for Dutch and British whalers. In the beginning of the 20^th century minerals became an important goal for the exploitation of the island. Several minerals were found, though not in large quantities. Only coal turned out to be worth mining (for a while). Between 1918 and 1932 a Norwegian mining company operated a coal mine and remains of the mining settlement, Tunheim, can still be seen. Nowadays Bear Island is uninhabited apart from the staff of Bjørnøya Radio, the Norwegian meteorological and radio station at Herwighamna.

Climate
The climate of Bear Island is maritime sub-Arctic. For an island at these latitudes Bear Island enjoys rather mild temperatures, especially during winter, the reason being again the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. In July and August the average temperature is around 4.4ºC (40ºF). Bear Island does not get that much precipitation, about 370 mm per year, though fog is common.

Please note; as Bear Island lacks good fjords and bays for landings and as the coastline consists mainly of cliffs and reefs, there is no guarantee that we will be able to land. The weather at these latitudes is unpredictable and may prevent our ships completing the planned itinerary!