The Majestic Polar Bear

There were tears.

Not from me, but it was a near thing.

Standing in the underwater tunnel with four strangers, only thin glass separating us from the pool of water overhead, we all shared a moment of awe as a polar bear swam over us with steady, powerful strokes. I'll never see or meet those people again, I don't know who they were or where they were from, but at that moment we all shared the same feeling. It's hard to explain the transcendent feeling that overtook us in that moment, but it left some of us in tears; this amazing animal had graced us with its majesty and we were in awe.

Getting to experience this will remain one of the most memorable things to ever happen to me, and so completely unexpected that I still feel incredibly blessed even years later. You may wonder how I managed to be in the tunnel at the exact moment the polar bear was swimming by, and there was a long journey leading up to my being there at that time.

I live in Australia, and that polar bear lives in Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark. Yes, I know that's a long way to go to get a photo of a polar bear. But even if that was the only thing I got to experience on that trip, maybe it would still have been worth it.

When I planned out my trip to Scandinavia, Copenhagen zoo wasn't on my itinerary. I travelled through Sweden first, but when I got to Copenhagen I had two free days before I was due to join my tour group for the rest of my tour through Denmark and Norway, so I had a look at the local attractions. There were palaces, Tivoli gardens, historical castles and breweries, but as an animal lover, when I saw the advertisement for the zoo I couldn't resist.

Luckily the bus system wasn't hard to navigate, and I managed to get myself safely to the zoo early enough to spend the majority of the day there. Having never seen a polar bear before I went there first, only to find that none were in sight. I was disappointed, but there were other animals to see, so I carried on. Going a bit snap-happy, I got some great photos of lions, elephants, flamingos, reindeer and red pandas to name a few. By the end of the day my camera battery was dead.

Having completed my rounds of all the exhibits, on my way out of the zoo I passed by the polar bear exhibit again, and to my joy, one was sitting out in the sun, basking in the warmth. I'd finally seen a polar bear. They are amazing to watch. The aura of calm majesty as they soak in and observe the world is very humbling.

The polar bear moved into the water and swam away from view, so I headed down into the lower part of the exhibit by the pool to see if I could follow it. It was well ahead in the water and as I entered the under-pool tunnel I could see it at the far end of the pool and leaving my sight. I thought that might be the end of my polar bear experience, but then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see a second polar bear gliding effortlessly in slow, deliberate strokes overhead. I don’t know what it is about the experience that brought forth so many emotions, but it was special and unique, and everyone was welling up as we stared up at this majestic creature in awe.

Remember how I said my camera was dead? My phone was nearly dead as well. I’d brought a battery pack with me and had been recharging it in my bag. It was less than 20% but it was enough to quickly snap a few shots before the polar bear passed.

I'm so grateful I did manage to get some photos to remember this amazing and unforgettable experience. It is something that has stayed with me in the years since I visited, and to this day I’m still surprised but grateful for the emotions it stirred in me when this polar bear swam over my head. I got to experience something truly special that day.