Kayaking Around Svalbard

Kayaking Around Svalbard

Two 22 year old Norwegian pushed of from Longyearbyen on Svalbard July 5th in an attempt to be the first to circumnavigate Svalbard. They will be totally self sufficient during the 2-3 month long kayak expedition.

So far there hasn’t been any kayakers who has managed to kayak around the four biggest islands on Svalbard: Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya and Barents Island. Now Sebastian Plur Nilsen and Ludvig Fjeld have set out on a mission to be the first.






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Svalbard is situated in the sea between Norway and the North Pole. and stretches out from 76° to 81° North, and 10° to 35° East. The average summer temperature is 5 degrees Celsius. The ice conditions will play a major role in the expeditions success.

So far only two other kayak expeditions have succeeded in kayaking round Spitsbergen, the largest island on Svalbard. No one has made it round Nordaustlandet. If the drift ice from the North Pole blows in it can be impossible to kayak on the north side of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet. It is hard to predict when the drift ice will set our way. The ice situation varies every year and from day to day, says the two.

The distance they have to cover is around 2000 kilometers. In addition to ice they also have to deal with very unpredictable and harsh weather conditions. The two has decided to be totally self sufficient, so when the started from Longyearbyen their kayaks weighed in at 300 kilos.

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