Day three of the trip finds us still in deep fog. According to Woody, the expedition leader, we're in Smeerenburgfjord, but all I can see is fog. Our original plan was to land at an old Dutch whaling station called, Smeerenburg (“blubber town”), but the fog is so thick we wouldn't be able to spot any lurking polar bears, so the landing is called off.

To pass the time, the expedition team gives various lectures on geology and ornithology. After lunch, we do get to do a zodiac cruise into the fog and ice. We spot a number of birds (don't ask me to name them) and into the fast ice. Fast Ice is ice that is still connected to the land. These large sheets of ice extend out into the sea and eventually break up into icebergs.

Fortunately, I'm in a zodiac with Annie, the assistant expedition leader who has surely some of the sharpest eyes ever. She spots a polar bear way the hell out on the ice and gets us pointed in the right direction. Annie called the spotting in and soon the other zodiacs were out to join us trying to spot the bear. Pretty soon the fog gets so thick that nobody can see anything, so we had back to the ship.