Asia, Russian Far East
Sea of Okhotsk aboard Spirit of Enderby
Little known outside of Russia and seldom visited by westerners, Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk dominates the Northwest Pacific. Bounded to the north and west by the Russian continent and the Kamchatka Peninsula to the east, with the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island guarding the southern border, it is almost landlocked.
Its coasts were once home to a number of groups of indigenous people: the Nivkhi, Oroki, Even and Itelmen. Their name for this sea simply translates as something like the ‘Sea of Hunters’ or ‘Hunters Sea’, perhaps a clue to the abundance of wildlife found here. In 1725, and again in 1733, the Russian explorer Vitus Bering launched two expeditions from the town of Okhotsk on the western shores of this sea in order to explore the eastern coasts of the Russian Empire. For a long time this town was the gateway to Kamchatka and beyond. The modern town of Okhotsk is built near the site of the old town, and little has changed over the centuries. Inhabitants now have an air service, but their lives are still dominated by the sea.
Perhaps no other sea in the world has witnessed as much human suffering and misery as the Sea of Okhotsk. Between 1932 and 1953 it is estimated that over 3 million prisoners (the vast majority of them innocent) were transported across the Sea of Okhotsk to the Gulags of the Kolyma Goldfields. It is estimated that only 500,000 of those prisoners survived to make the journey home. The town and port of Magadan were built to process these prisoners. Today there is little evidence of the town’s sordid past, but the Mask of Sorrow, a large monument on a hill overlooking the town, is a poignant reminder of Magadan’s origins.
The upper regions of the Sea of Okhotsk remain frozen for much of the year and winter storms make it an inhospitable place. However the lure of a rich fishery and, more recently, oil and gas discoveries means this sea is still being exploited, so nothing has changed there. In 1854, no fewer than 160 American and British whaling ships were there hunting whales. Despite this seemingly relentless exploitation the wildlife thrives, albeit probably not in the numbers it used to, but still in numbers that boggle the mind. The beautifully marked and rare Ribbon Seals are abundant here. On the small island of Iony, and on the Yamskie and Tyuleniy Islands, hundreds of Steller Sea Lions haul out each year to breed. Tyuleniy Island is also home to one of the largest breeding colonies of Northern Fur Seals in the Russian Far East.
Seabird numbers in the Sea of Okhotsk can only be described as spectacular. We are talking numbers rarely seen anywhere else in the world, such as an estimated 7 million on Matykil Island in the Yamskiye Archipelago. Then there are islands like Talan where the sky darkens when the Crested Auklets start massing offshore before returning each evening. Birds there include various species of guillemots, puffins, auklets and fulmars, but the richness of birdlife is not restricted to pelagic species. The Sea of Okhotsk has one of the highest concentrations of the majestic Steller’s Sea Eagle of anywhere in the Russian Far East.
Waterfowl are common, as are many migratory species. Harder to see, but not uncommon on this expedition, are the magnificent Kamchatka Brown Bear and other mammals such as the Arctic Ground Squirrel.
This is a truly unique expedition in that it travels through a little known sea. It is a region with a history that up until recently has been suppressed and not spoken about, the magnitude of the tragedy of Stalin’s Gulag system is only now becoming apparent. It is also an area with very significant and important wildlife values, both terrestrial and marine. There are still discoveries to be made and so for the inquisitive, adventurous and open-minded traveller, this is a ‘must do’ expedition.
Its coasts were once home to a number of groups of indigenous people: the Nivkhi, Oroki, Even and Itelmen. Their name for this sea simply translates as something like the ‘Sea of Hunters’ or ‘Hunters Sea’, perhaps a clue to the abundance of wildlife found here. In 1725, and again in 1733, the Russian explorer Vitus Bering launched two expeditions from the town of Okhotsk on the western shores of this sea in order to explore the eastern coasts of the Russian Empire. For a long time this town was the gateway to Kamchatka and beyond. The modern town of Okhotsk is built near the site of the old town, and little has changed over the centuries. Inhabitants now have an air service, but their lives are still dominated by the sea.
Perhaps no other sea in the world has witnessed as much human suffering and misery as the Sea of Okhotsk. Between 1932 and 1953 it is estimated that over 3 million prisoners (the vast majority of them innocent) were transported across the Sea of Okhotsk to the Gulags of the Kolyma Goldfields. It is estimated that only 500,000 of those prisoners survived to make the journey home. The town and port of Magadan were built to process these prisoners. Today there is little evidence of the town’s sordid past, but the Mask of Sorrow, a large monument on a hill overlooking the town, is a poignant reminder of Magadan’s origins.
The upper regions of the Sea of Okhotsk remain frozen for much of the year and winter storms make it an inhospitable place. However the lure of a rich fishery and, more recently, oil and gas discoveries means this sea is still being exploited, so nothing has changed there. In 1854, no fewer than 160 American and British whaling ships were there hunting whales. Despite this seemingly relentless exploitation the wildlife thrives, albeit probably not in the numbers it used to, but still in numbers that boggle the mind. The beautifully marked and rare Ribbon Seals are abundant here. On the small island of Iony, and on the Yamskie and Tyuleniy Islands, hundreds of Steller Sea Lions haul out each year to breed. Tyuleniy Island is also home to one of the largest breeding colonies of Northern Fur Seals in the Russian Far East.
Seabird numbers in the Sea of Okhotsk can only be described as spectacular. We are talking numbers rarely seen anywhere else in the world, such as an estimated 7 million on Matykil Island in the Yamskiye Archipelago. Then there are islands like Talan where the sky darkens when the Crested Auklets start massing offshore before returning each evening. Birds there include various species of guillemots, puffins, auklets and fulmars, but the richness of birdlife is not restricted to pelagic species. The Sea of Okhotsk has one of the highest concentrations of the majestic Steller’s Sea Eagle of anywhere in the Russian Far East.
Waterfowl are common, as are many migratory species. Harder to see, but not uncommon on this expedition, are the magnificent Kamchatka Brown Bear and other mammals such as the Arctic Ground Squirrel.
This is a truly unique expedition in that it travels through a little known sea. It is a region with a history that up until recently has been suppressed and not spoken about, the magnitude of the tragedy of Stalin’s Gulag system is only now becoming apparent. It is also an area with very significant and important wildlife values, both terrestrial and marine. There are still discoveries to be made and so for the inquisitive, adventurous and open-minded traveller, this is a ‘must do’ expedition.
This morning we meet at the
Mega Palace Hotel and take
a coach transfer to the Port of
Korsakov some 40 minutes south
of the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Once on board you will be
shown to your cabins and there
will be a chance to unpack and
explore the vessel. We plan to get
underway soon after you have
embarked. There will be briefings
and introductions to the ship,
staff and crew after we have
departed.
We arrive at little known Tyuleniy
Island off the south-east coast of
Sakhalin Island. This small island is
a stronghold for Northern Fur Seals
and, since 1990, an increasing
number of Steller Sea Lions. Up
until the early 1900s fur seals were
slaughtered in their thousands
on this island. An international
convention, signed in 1911, on
the research and management
of fur seals changed these
practices and the numbers have
slowly been recovering, reaching
a record in the 1950s of about
120,000 animals. In the 1960s a
substantial field research station
was constructed on the island and scientists monitored the
population annually. In the
1990s Steller Sea Lions started
breeding on the island and their
colony now numbers about
2,500 animals. Sea conditions
permitting, we plan a landing
here. This will be an opportunity
to photograph the seals and
sea lions as well as talk with the
researchers.
It was the discovery of oil
and gas in this region which
put Sakhalin Island on many
people’s maps. The first
commercial wells were built
in Piltun Bay and they were
not without controversy and
protest. Biologists had been
aware for a long time of a
western population of Gray
Whales that were (are) thought
to migrate not to California
(as most Gray Whales do) but
possibly to somewhere in the
South China Sea. Piltun Bay
is an important habitat for
this population so there were
strict environmental practices
imposed on the multinational
developers. We visit Piltun Bay
today, where the oil and gas
platforms are very obvious,
but we plan to go in search of the Gray Whales that live here,
travelling by Zodiac inshore to the
shallower waters where they are
known to feed.
Iony Island lies almost in the
middle of the Sea of Okhotsk,
about 120 nautical miles from
the closest land. It is a tiny island,
really just a rock, but what it
lacks in physical size it more than
makes up for wildlife. It is nothing
short of spectacular and very
few people have seen it. Iony is a
well known breeding ground for
Steller Sea Lions. The island also
teems with birdlife. Birds appear
to take up all available space.
There are guillemots, kittiwakes
and various species of auklets,
with Parakeet, Whiskered and
Least being the most prominent.
We will Zodiac cruise around the
Island as Steller Sea Lions occupy
all the flat ground and the few
rocky beaches make any landing
impossible.
There are 15 islands in this little
known archipelago. Lying as
they do in the western sector of
the Sea of Okhotsk close to the
continent, they are amongst the
last places here to become ice
free each year. This late ice can
sometimes restrict how far we
can explore. On the other hand
if there is ice around, it increases our chances of seeing some
of the seals including Bearded,
Ringed, Largha and Ribbon Seals
that breed here. Potentially this
area is one of the best to get
observations and photographs
of the beautifully patterned
Ribbon Seals. The seas around
the Shanter Archipelago are also
renowned for Bowhead Whales.
If we can land there will be
birding, botany and photography
excursions led by our team of on
board naturalists. We have set
aside two days here to maximise
our chances of getting ashore
and also having the best wildlife
experiences.
The sight that greets you when
you approach these three small
offshore islands is ‘birds’. There are
birds everywhere, in the air, in the
water and on the land. Numerous
species breed here including
large numbers of Spectacled
Guillemots, perhaps the largest
colony of these birds anywhere,
as they are only found in the Sea
of Okhotsk. Other birds include
Ancient Murrelet, Rhinoceros
Auklet, Parakeet Auklet, Horned
and Tufted Puffin, Crested
Auklet and both Common and
Brunnich’s Guillemot. It is little
wonder with the abundance
of birds that there is a good
population of Steller’s Sea Eagles
on the island and adjacent
mainland.
This town has featured in Russian
Far East history since the earliest
Cossack explorers came from
the west. Prior to their arrival the
indigenous people undoubtedly
had seasonal camps here to
harvest the salmon. Vitus Bering
travelled overland from St
Petersburg to Okhotsk in 1725,
and again in 1733, and it was
from this small town that both
of these expeditions travelled
to Kamchatka and beyond.
Because of the hostility of the
Koryak people in the north
towards the Russian invaders,
the Sea of Okhotsk was the main
access route to Kamchatka.
Today Okhotsk is the region’s
fishing centre. The port exports
significant quantities of salmon
and other fish. We visit the
town, landing by Zodiac up
the river near its centre. The
local people are generous and
welcoming, and will provide some
entertainment in the town centre
with a cultural display. This is a
chance to experience genuine
Russian Far East culture and
embrace their hospitality.
An internationally known bird
island, Talan lies offshore some
50 miles west of Magadan. It is
famous largely because of the
hundreds of thousands of Crested
Auklets that nest here. There is
also an extraordinary number
of Black-legged Kittiwakes
nesting along the cliffs, and not
surprisingly a large population of
Steller’s Sea Eagles. If weather
conditions are suitable we will
circumnavigate the island by
Zodiac before landing. We plan
to return in the evening after
dinner to witness the huge flocks
of Crested Auklets amassing
offshore before returning to the
island. If the conditions are right it
is one of those sights, and nights,
you will never forget.
This is a mountainous region
to the south-east of the town
of Magadan. Approximately
one third of it is protected by
its inclusion in the Magadanskiy
Zapovednik (a Federal Nature
Reserve). This reserve protects
among other animals brown
bear and Snow Sheep. There are numerous places to land
and the climate is very much
affected by the Sea of Okhotsk.
Very few visitors have ever
landed on, or explored, the Koni
Peninsula. Many of our landings
are expeditionary and part of
what makes our style of travel so
interesting.
These islands are also included in
the Magadansky Zapovednik and
are claimed by some biologists to
be the largest bird colony in the
North Pacific. According to bird
counts there are an estimated
7 million birds nesting on Matykil
Island, the largest in the group Birds include Common and
Brunnich’s Guillemot, Crested,
Parakeet and Least Auklets,
Tufted and Horned Puffins and
Northern Fulmars. The most
abundant of these is the
Least Auklet.
The islands are also a well known
breeding ground for the Steller
Sea Lion and we will see large
numbers both in the water and
hauled on the few beaches on
the island. We Zodiac around
the coast as no landings are
permitted, but you get a much
better appreciation of the islands
and the abundance of the
wildlife by cruising the shoreline.
The name Magadan is synonymous
with Stalin’s oppressive Gulags or
prisons. It is estimated that between
1932 and 1953 more than 3.5 million
‘prisoners’ were shipped across
the Sea of Okhotsk to Magadan or
Nagaevo, as it was then known, to
work in the Kolyma Goldfields. It is
thought that only 500,000 survived
the terrible conditions including
the cold, lack of food, and
inhuman treatment by the guards
and officials. Nowadays there is
very little evidence of this town’s
tragic past. The most poignant
reminder is the ‘Mask of Sorrow’,
a large monument, dedicated to
those who suffered here, on a hill
overlooking the town. Today it is a town of about 100,000
people. Fishing is important and
gold mining is experiencing a
revival with mechanical dredges
and machinery successfully
reworking the areas once worked
by the prisoners with their hands.
The port is kept open throughout the winter by icebreakers as it is
the lifeline for those living here. The
infamous Kolyma Highway, also
known as the ‘Road of Bones’,
connects Magadan with Yakutsk
and the rest of Russia.
We plan to arrive in the Port of
Magadan, late morning. There will
be a complimentary shuttle to a
central hotel in the city. In case
of unavoidable delays with either
weather and/or formalities we
kindly ask you not to make any
onward flight reservations until the
following day.
During our voyage,
circumstances may make it
necessary or desirable to deviate
from the proposed itinerary.
This can include poor weather
and/or opportunities for making
unplanned excursions. Your
Expedition Leader will keep you
fully informed.
| 24 June, 2022 to 05 July, 2022 | Book now |
Main Deck Triple
$7,090 USD pp
Main deck triple cabin: This cabin has one bunk (one upper and one lower) and one lower berth, wardrobe, drawers, a desk and washbasin. The nearby showers and toilets are shared with other Main deck cabins.
Main Deck
$8,250 USD pp
Cabins have two lower berths, wardrobe, drawers, a desk, washbasin. The nearby showers and toilets are shared with other Main deck cabins.
Superior
$8,770 USD pp
Cabins have one bunk (an upper and lower – two), wardrobe, drawers, a desk, a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin. These cabins have windows.
Superior Plus
$9,500 USD pp
Cabins have two lower berths, wardrobe, drawers, a desk and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin. These cabins have windows.
Mini Suite
$9,920 USD pp
A small bedroom with a 3/4 bed and a single bed in the lounge, wardrobe, drawers, a desk and a private bathroom with shower. toilet and washbasin. This suite has windows.
Heritage Suite
$10,870 USD pp
Large lounge area, separate bedroom with double bed, single bed in the lounge, writing desk, wardrobe, drawers, and fridge. There is a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin. Large forward and side facing windows with great views.
Spirit of Enderby
Vessel Type: Expedition
Length: 72 metres
Passenger Capacity: 50
Built / refurbished: 1984 / 2018
The Spirit of Enderby is a fully ice-strengthened expedition vessel, built in 1984 for polar and oceanographic research and is perfect for Expedition Travel.
She carries just 50 passengers and was refurbished in November 2004 to provide comfortable accommodation in twin share cabins approximately half of which have private facilities. All cabins have outside windows or portholes and ample storage space.
On board there is a combined bar/library lounge area and a dedicated lecture room. The cuisine is excellent and is prepared by top NZ and Australian chefs.
The real focus and emphasis of every expedition is getting you ashore as often as possible for as long as possible with maximum safety and comfort. Our Expeditions are accompanied by some of the most experienced naturalists and guides, who have devoted a lifetime to field research in the areas that we visit. The ship is crewed by a very enthusiastic and most experienced Russian Captain and crew.
The name Spirit of Enderby honours the work and the vision of the Enderby Brothers of London. The Enderby Captains were at the forefront of Antarctic exploration for almost 40 years in the early 1800’s. It also celebrates Enderby Island, arguably the greatest Subantarctic Island in the world.
a) our fleet of RIB’s, (rigid inflatable boats) sometimes referred to as zodiacs. These extremely safe and stable craft will land you at some of the most amazing places.
Inclusions
• Voyage on board in selected cabin cateogy
• Pre/Post cruise transfers
• Experienced expedition leader and team
• All meals while on board
• All expedition shore excusions
• The price listed includes the additional local payment of $500 which is payable in US$ cash onboard the ship.
Exclusions
• International and Domestic flights, both commercial and charter
• Travel insurance
• Passport and visa costs if applicable
• Beverages on board
• Gratuities
• Any items of a personal nature including laundry
Expedition
12 Days from
$7,090 USD pp
Highlights
• Discover Sakhalin Island• Enjoy Tyuleniy Island & Iony Island
• Explore Shantar Archipelago
• Travel to Koni Peninsula & Yamskiye Islands
Our Associates Include
