Photos of the Week, April 29, 2022

As we return to two more regions for the first time in more than two years—the Arctic and French Polynesia—it feels like the world of Lindblad Expeditions has expanded. Just a week into our travels in these two geographies, we are encountering moments that are absolutely extraordinary. In particular, naturalist Javier Cotin reports from Rangiroa this week on a last-minute itinerary change that led to a powerful moment for cultural specialist Tua Pittman. (Read more below, then click through to read the full report.) But that wasn't the only unexpected detour this week. In Svalbard, the National Geographic Resolution took advantage of great conditions to squeeze in an extra hike to a glacier the ship has never visited before. Get Inspired By Photos, Videos, Webinars, Stories, And Exclusive Offers. Sign Up

Our field staff in Galápagos, the Channel Islands, and the Pacific Northwest have also shared some incredible wildlife and landscapes this week. There's always something new and different to capture.

For more dispatches from the field, check out our Daily Expedition Reports.

Have you recently traveled aboard one of our ships? Send us your favorite photo! We'd love to feature your favorite memory of your expedition.

Green Lagoon, Rangiroa, French Polynesia

"Fifteen years ago, Tua, our cultural navigator and naturalist, gave Punua, the Polynesian Master Mariner, a stone from his archipelago, the Cook Islands, to be placed in the Rangiroa Paepae. Punua kept the stone for fifteen years as he thought it was not his place to add the stone. He knew that, sooner or later, destiny would bring Tua to the Green Lagoon. And today was the day." —Javier Cotin, Naturalist, April 26, 2022

Confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers, Washington

Columbia & Snake Rivers Journey, April 21, 2022

Great horned owlets. —Dave Katz, Video Chronicler

Krossfjorden, Norway

Land Of The Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard, April 21, 2022

view of ice through a porthole

During our biosecurity decontamination process at Base Camp, we had fun taking photos of the passing scenery through the porthole. —Sue Forbes, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Palouse Falls, Washington

Columbia & Snake Rivers Journey, April 21, 2022

Expedition landing crafts brought us to the shore, where we boarded coaches and made our way to Palouse Falls. At the falls, we observed a kestrel harass a red-tailed hawk. —Kelly M. Coursey Gray, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

South Plaza Island, Galápagos

Wild Galápagos Escape, April 21, 2022

South Plaza Island has an amazing landscape with cliffs, the blue ocean surrounding the island, and red Sesuvium. The succulent plant turns a red color in the dry season, and it really looks like a carpet. —Paulina Saa, Naturalist

Chinese Hat, Galápagos

Wild Galápagos Escape, April 22, 2022

Brown pelicans are one of the most common seabirds found in the Galapagos. They spend the day searching for fish along the shore of the islands. During mating season, they aggregate in coastal areas with trees and bushes where they build nests using twigs. These animals were fishing today while we were on a Zodiac ride. Guests had the chance to practice their photography skills by taking photos of the animals during their hunting activities. —Javier Carrion, Naturalist

Ana’a Atoll, Tuamotus, French Polynesia

French Polynesia: Beyond the Postcard, April 24, 2022

Upon arrival, some of us did our checkout SCUBA dive. In most parts of the world, a checkout dive involves sitting on a sandy bottom without seeing much. Not for us. After a brief skills check, we enjoyed a beautiful wall with healthy coral and abundant fish. —Mike Greenfelder, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Hornsund, Svalbard, Norway

Land of the Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard,

April 25, 2022

iceberg

During the morning, we entered into Hornsund, one of the most scenic landscapes of Svalbard. We searched the shores and cruised towards the edge of fast ice in the inner fjords of Hornsund. A walk on the ice outside of Samarinbreen was certainly one of the great highlights of our voyage. —Carl Erik Kilander, Naturalist

Tagus Cove, Galápagos

Galápagos Aboard National Geographic Endeavour II, April 26, 2022

Silhouette of a Galápagos flightless cormorant. —Jonathan Aguas, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Santa Rosa Island, California

Wild California Escape: Channel Islands National Park, April 25, 2022

Our guests divided into groups to spend the afternoon exploring Santa Rosa. They admired everything the area has to offer, especially the renowned, endemic Torrey pine forests. These forests are among the rarest in the world, as they only occur in two places on Earth. Not only were they stunning, but they also proved a fantastic spot to have our picnic lunches. Occasionally, we caught glimpses of one of the tiny, elusive island foxes; they are also an endemic species! —Ryan Tidman, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Bellsund Fjord, Svalbard, Norway

Land of the Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard,

April 26, 2022

hikers in front of a massive glacier

After a delicious lunch with a 270° view of the fjord and the mountains covered in snow, a most unexpected proposal came to us via the PA system. The team had scouted a completely new landing for a possible hike to view a beautiful glacier. With the temperature at -18° C, a very snowy Arctic endeavor awaited us.

Once we geared up, we were ready to go. The safety perimeter was established, and we all walked along the snow to an incredible view of the glacier front. Our walk over snow towards the Recherchebreen glacier was topped off by appearances of Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes. —Madalena Patacho, Naturalist