Extreme tourism: the establishment’s most daring take a swim with a polar bear in Svalbard.
This activity entails taking a dip in the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean, where there are sometimes ice floats. Besides, they sometimes find polar bears along the coastal line—but, of course, for a distance.
The water temperature range differs from 1-3 °C (34–37 °F), meaning that it is not only the bodily endurance that will be tested but also the psychological one. Usually, participants practice a short run on the ice before undressing and jumping into the icy water; thus, they suffer an extremely cold shock.
The entire event is brief, possibly lasting for a few moments, but the ‘high’ it gives, together with the feeling of triumph, is immeasurable. Subsequently, getting warm by the fire or in a sauna is rather pleasant. Unlike other extreme tours, it is not quite about the cold but the experience of the Arctic, the landscape, the wildlife, and the astonishing clockwork of Providence.
Svalbard remains one of the best places in the world to observe polar bears in the wild, but the challenges they face underscore the broader environmental changes affecting the Arctic region.
Mark