Some nights onboard the ship I can hear the bearded seals sing from the deep.
Bearded seals are the largest of the northern phocid seals. They have an extremely elaborate, long set of whiskers that tend to curl when they are dry. It is these whiskers that give the species its name.
Bearded seals have a patchy distribution throughout the circumpolar Arctic. Their preferred habitat is drifting pack ice in areas over shallow water shelves. Juvenile animals wander quite broadly, but adult animals tend to have quite small home ranges, remaining in coastal waters much of the year.
Bearded seals are found at low densities in all of Svalbard’s fjords on a year-round basis, and in coastal regions wherever there is drifting ice.
Upcoming bearded seal tours
Svalbard Early Winter expedition 2024 MV Kinfish
Svalbard winter photography on Svalbard. Join us for this very early winter photo expedition and experience the breathtaking light and scenery. The cold environment will make wildlife encounters to something…
Svalbard Winter expedition 2024
Svalbard travel photography on Svalbard, every day is different, and every year is different. Arctic Wildlife Tours guides leads this winter expedition on Svalbard, a remote area we know well…
Svalbard Masterclass on board 2024
Join our photography masterclass onboard hosted by Nat Geo photographer Stefano Unterthiner and Arctic Wildlife Tours
Early season May 1 – 9 expedition 2024 MS Virgo
Arctic Wildlife Tours do this early May expedition on Svalbard in 2022. We will be using the expedition ship MS Virgo for this wildlife expedition, which is a recently refurbished…
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 10 – 19 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 19 – 28 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 28 – July 07 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
Main Wildlife season Svalbard July 07 – 17 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
Main Wildlife season Svalbard July 08 – 19 2024
We use the vessel Vestland Explorer during this 12 day long expedition. High standard cabins and large, open plan living spaces. The vessel also has the highest ice-class and we…
Main Wildlife Season Svalbard July 17 – 27 2024
Svalbard photo tours and small vessel cruises in mid summer to photograph and experience the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours, providing great opportunities to see Svalbard's…
Main Wildlife season Svalbard August 16 – 26 2024
Svalbard wildlife photography tour in the late summer and early autumn to spend more time in the drift ice searching for Polar Bears and other wildlife.
Late Autumn season Svalbard September 05 – 15 2024
In September we expect to spend days into the drift ice far north and east of Svalbard. Our goal is to photograph polar bears and other wildlife in golden light.