Svalbard · Norway · Channel & pass
Poolepynten
A documented walrus haul-out inside a national park
Poolepynten is a headland roughly 1.5 km long on the eastern coast of Prins Karls Forland, inside the Forlandsundet strait, and walrus are documented hauled out on it. The whole point lies within Forlandet National Park, and the approach is regulated before anything else: AECO's Svalbard guidance sets minimum distances at haul-outs and rules out recreational water contact.
Where it is and how deep
78.4448° N, 11.8937° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
What brings a ship to this beach is the walrus documented hauled out on it, and positioning is the first thing that happens. AECO's Svalbard guidance requires any motor vessel to keep at least 150 metres from a walrus haul-out site and not to exceed 5 knots when passing one within 300 metres, so the tender comes in slowly and holds well off. How close anyone gets is set by that rule and by the guide, not by the group.
Water contact is the part to settle before the trip rather than on the day. The same guidance is unambiguous — never swim, kayak or dive in walrus waters, it is dangerous — and no source found sets out whether operator-led in-water encounters at this haul-out are regulated differently. Ask the ship what it is permitted to do here before booking on the strength of the walrus, and expect the answer to be narrower than the brochure.
Background
The headland takes its name from the British whaler Jonas Poole. The point now lies inside Forlandet National Park, an IUCN category II national park created by royal resolution on 1 June 1973, and that protection, together with AECO's guidance for the archipelago, is why the walrus using this beach are approached under fixed distance limits rather than at a visitor's discretion.
Marine life and season
- Seals & sea lions
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Svalbard: Expedition ships operate Jun–Sep in the polar summer; outside that window the archipelago is dark, iced in and inaccessible.
Know before you go
- AECO's Svalbard guidance is explicit that recreational water contact with walrus is dangerous: never swim, kayak or dive in walrus waters. Any in-water plan here has to come from the ship.
- Motor vessels must stay at least 150 m off the haul-out and under 5 knots when passing within 300 m, so tender positioning rather than diver preference decides how close anyone gets.
- Outside the settlements a rifle must be carried for polar bear protection, so tender landings and shore work run with the ship's armed guide.
Photos from Poolepynten
Gary Bembridge from London, UK · CC BY 2.0
Gary Bembridge from London, UK · CC BY 2.0
David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada · CC BY 2.0
Questions divers ask
Can you dive with the walrus at Poolepynten?+
Not as anything a diver arranges for themselves. AECO's Svalbard guidance says never to swim, kayak or dive in walrus waters because it is dangerous, and motor vessels must stay at least 150 m off a haul-out site. Any in-water time here is the ship's call, and no published source found sets out an exception.
How close can a boat get to the walrus?+
Vessels must keep at least 150 m from a walrus haul-out site and must not exceed 5 knots when passing one within 300 m, under AECO's guideline for Svalbard.
Is Poolepynten protected?+
Yes. It lies within Forlandet National Park on Prins Karls Forland, an IUCN category II national park created by royal resolution on 1 June 1973.
Sources
- Poolepynten — Wikipedia
- Polar diving — Oceanwide Expeditions
- Diving in Spitsbergen — Oceanwide Expeditions
- Forlandet National Park — Wikipedia
- Walrus guideline — AECO (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators)
- Svalbard — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A group of walrus hauled out on the gravel beach at Poolepynten, mountains rising across the water behind them. by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Close view of a walrus with long tusks resting on the beach at Poolepynten. by Gary Bembridge from London, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A large walrus rears up on the beach at Poolepynten, tusks catching the low Arctic light. by Gary Bembridge from London, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Driftwood scattered across the gravel headland at Poolepynten, with mountains across the fjord. by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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