We absolutely LOVED kayaking Disko Bay (July 20, 2024). In fact, it’s the PADDLING HIGHLIGHT of our Gems of West Greenland expedition cruise. That’s a pretty good consolation prize for missing out on visiting Greenland’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Sermeq Kujalleq! So many icebergs jammed the outlet of lulissat Ice Fjord that Ultramarine was unable to approach Iulissat for our planned visit.
lulissat Ice Fjord is the outlet for Sermeq Kujalleq (aka Jakobshavn Isbrae), the world’s fastest calving glacier, calving an estimated 40 cubic kilometers (nearly 10 cubic miles) of icebergs per year. One expedition cruise company’s website mentions that it was probably an iceberg from this glacier that sank the Titanic. I’ve been unable to find another source for this theory. Perhaps they jumped to that conclusion after reading this article in The Smithsonian. The theory also gets a mention on Wikipedia.
We factor UNESCO World Heritage Sites into our travel planning. So we were keen to visit the town of Ilulissat, the Ilulissat Icefjord interpretive center and maybe even do part of the long “blue route” day hike. But after a long morning watching presentations in the forward lounge while Ultramarine navigated through (and bumped against) a HUGE field of icebergs, expedition staff said “nope, not gonna happen.”
Instead, we’d head out on the water in the afternoon, kayakers in their kayaks and everyone else in zodiacs. If you prefer a video recap of the outing, watch Mr GeoK’s Relive.
Launch
As always, this was a zodiac launch. BUT we spotted a Minke whale while cruising in the zodiac towards our launch location. What a surprise! Our zodiac pilot kept an appropriate distance just long enough for Mr GeoK to get off a couple of shots with his telephoto lens. Then we continued on our way, so as not to “hassle” the whale.
We appreciated the amazing sky while awaiting our turn to launch. The wispy cloud formations reminded me of some of the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds’ formations.
We launched about middle of the group this time. Only six of our group opted to kayak, so it was a quick process. After everyone was on the water, Whitey reminded us of the safety perimeter guidance – stay at least 2.5 times as far away from an iceberg as the iceberg is tall. Icebergs can unexpectedly roll or calve, and the underwater mass of an iceberg can be much larger than what you see above water. The safety margin is intended to give you time to turn stern to the roll / calving event so that any waves push you from behind instead of rolling your kayak.
Paddling
With that reminder, we started kayaking Disko Bay. What an amazing experience. Some glaciers were many stories tall. A few had little waterfalls coming down off of them. As expected, a few had birds out for an iceberg-top float. There were small patches of bergy-bits, where we paddled through the slush of a recent disintegration of a chunk of iceberg. Occasionally, we’d see a zodiac filled with Ultramarine passengers, out enjoying an ice cruise. Spectacular!
Disko Bay Fun Facts
- The most visited place in Greenland
- Visitors cruise amongst icebergs that rise up to 100 meters (100 yards) above sea level
- The icebergs calve off the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier and float 6 km (4 miles) down Ilulissat Icefjord to reach Disko Bay
- Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the world’s fastest-calving glaciers, calving an estimated 40 cubic kilometers of icebergs per year
- Disko Bay is one of the best spots in Greenland for whale watching, with whales travelling all the way from the Caribbean to spend the summer months in Greenland
- Largest open bay in western Greenland, measuring approximately 150 km (93 miles) north to south and 100 km (62 miles) east to west
- The name “Ilulissat,” which translates to “icebergs” in Greenlandic, reflects the abundance of icebergs in the bay
- The Disko Live! project studies the underwater soundscape of Disko Bay, allowing listeners to experience the sounds of Arctic marine life, icebergs cracking, and ships sailing by
SUMMARY
After getting out on the water, our disappointment at being denied the opportunity to visit the Ilulissat Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Site evaporated. By the time we re-boarded the zodiac to return to Ultramarine, we’d covered 9.4 km in just over 2 hours. We consider kayaking Disko Bay our best sea kayaking experience to-date. I grinned the whole way through writing this post, as I remember what it was like to paddle among giants.