MOFFEN
Seal Island on the 80th Parallel
BASIC INFORMATION
Moffen is a small island in the north of Svalbard, covering an area of about 5 square kilometers. Its shape resembles a muff (hence its name) or a ring – it is round with a small lagoon in the middle. At first glance, it doesn’t look interesting – it’s flat and rocky, barely covered with moss. However, it is important for significant reasons.
Moffen is entirely protected and is a crucial area for the re-colonization of walruses. The island has had an important role in the protection of walruses, which were threatened with extinction in the mid-20th century. Today, in the south of the island, one can observe huge herds of these large mammals, lazily lounging over the water in numbers of up to 100 individuals. The waters surrounding the island are extremely shallow, which facilitates finding food and at the same time acts as a natural barrier against landing and threats from the sea. In the summer, from May 15th to September 15th, one can approach the island at a maximum distance of 300 meters, and from the air, at 500 meters. These are modern times because the island was already known in the 17th century when walruses were mass-harvested here. Whalers also buried their dead here. One or two graves have survived to this day.
Although one cannot approach the island closely due to the reserve, hospitable walruses often pay us a visit by approaching the yacht themselves. Perhaps they are a bit surprised that someone ventured into such a remote place.
In addition to walruses, one can find polar bears, ducks, geese, and many species of birds here. Arctic terns are abundant here, but you can also encounter ivory gulls, which are extremely rare on Svalbard.
In the waters north of Spitsbergen, especially in these areas, large whales often appear. Here we’ve managed to spot a blue whale.
Crossing the 80th Parallel
Moffen is located just above the 80th parallel, crossing which is the dream of many sailors and explorers, but achieved by few. It is a sense of proximity to the North Pole, which is already less than 600 nautical miles away. The northern tip of Europe – Nordkapp – is over 1000 kilometers… south of Moffen.
The Moffen region is where the ice fields surrounding the pole move. In the winter-spring period, the northern part of Svalbard is closed by ice, but in the summer, it moves towards the North, so it’s close to the ice limit from here. Reaching it is another incredible experience.
