Half term whale encounters in Iceland

We are often asked here in the schools department whether whale watching is a good idea in February.  Well, we are delighted to report that some of our adventurous schools who braved the elements of the North Atlantic this past half term have had some amazing encounters of a cetacean kind.

The trip yesterday morning for our school was quite an adventure.  The weather played a part bringing snow, sleet, hail and then snow again, a small pod of white beaked dolphins was spotted but the trip was crowned by an encounter with a humpback whale as they were returning to the harbour.  With wonderful flukes close to the boat the students had a fantastic end to their study trip to Iceland.

Not only that but they also managed to witness the Northern Lights during their trip so it really was a trip to remember.

Also, our inaugral Killer Whales and Northern Lights trip on our main programme to the wonderful bay of Grundarfjordur earlier in February had Orca whales and the Northern Lights also making a visit to Iceland in February a memorable experience.  The tours for this year are already sold out for the rest of February and March but sign up for our e newsletter to be the first to know all about our new tours when they are launched.

 

 

A Bear and an Arctic Fox in the Northwest Passage

You can follow intrepid adventurer Bear Gryllis and his team as they attempt to navigate 5700 nautical miles from the Pacific to the Atlantic through the normally frozen Northwest Passage in an attempt to raise awareness of Global Warming and to raise funds for Global Angels, a UK charity raising money for safe water for children.

You can follow Bear here on his diary of his adventure in the Arctic Fox, which is a rigid inflatable boat, otherwise known as a Zodiac.  They departed on the 28th August.

We wish them every success on their adventure.

If you would like your own adventure in the Northwest Passage in a ship slightly more substantial than a Zodiac, please take alook at our Arctic voyages.

Lorraine

Discover the Arctic on BBC's Human Planet

For the first time ever the BBC are making a landmark series dedicated to ‘Homo sapiens’, otherwise known as, humans!

From the comfort of your home you can adventure to over 80 parts of the world, witness incredible environments, grasslands, deserts, mountain, oceans, arctic, rivers, jungles and urban environments.  Venturing from Greenland to Papua New Guinea this series is sure to inspire the next generation of students. Visit the BBC for more information on the Human Planet series and a wealth of resources remember to keep an eye out for the Greenland episode…and if you’re inspired, why not travel with your students to some of our inspiring destinations to see for yourself these amazing environments.

Lorraine

OmanTurtle Encounter on School Trip

Silent we were, as we stood behind this wonderful greenback turtle as she gently covered her eggs in the moonlight on the beach at Ras al Jinz. We were there to witness this amazing spectacle on the Oman coast at the research centre for the Greenback turtles. The energy it took for each sweep of the flipper as she took her last motherly act was impressive.    

 

Once covered, the eggs, and then the baby turtles would be completely on their own to battle against predators and to take that long journey to the sea. The little turtles follow light to lead them to the sea and we watched as the tiny little turtle launched itself off the 8ft sand bank to drop into the sea whilst a large white crab was patrolling – it escaped and now began its life’s journey.

 

We, that is myself, Dan - Manager of the Schools programme, and Charlotte - Assitant Manager were in Oman on an inspection visit before launching this incredible destination.  A visit to this Research Centre is part of our school trip programme to Oman which we have just launched. Find out more about this amazing Middle East country. Register now for information on our inaugural teacher inspection trip at study@discovertheworld.co.uk

 

 Lorraine

Iceland Video - now is the best time to travel!

Here at Discover the World we all LOVE the recent video just posted on Inspired By Iceland!  Take a look below - very reminiscent of Bjork's video - fantastic to see some of that stunning Icelandic scenery and everyone having fun! Spread the word that now is a fantastic time to visit Iceland!

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired by Iceland on Vimeo.

Snap, crackle and pop in the Arctic

Hoping to fulfil a schoolgirl dream to see a polar bear in the wild I set off on the Around Spitsbergen voyage in August with hope in my heart but not an expectation.  I had heard all the stories of the disappearing polar bears.  Imagine how my heart beat when we had a close up encounter that exceeded my wildest dreams.  Five meters away from the Akademik Shokalskiy was the healthiest polar bear, as curious of us as we were in him. It was a wonderous sight as the bear just ambled towards us from the horizon past the bearded seal, who took evasive action as the bear approached. We all held our breath as he took an enormous leap over the ice that had cracked in front of the ship a truly awe inspiring sight.  Disappearing into the distance with the sun low on the horizon.

But the arctic is more than this – as we entered into the ice strewn sea the air was full of snap, crackle and pop as the bubbles in the ice popped away as they melted in the Arctic summer sun.  We cruised along in the zodiacs surrounded by this rice crispy moment with everybody quiet as we listened to this living ice all around us.

And there is so much more that is the Arctic – I’ll save that for another day….