Looks like a Whale of a Day

Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay, Antarctica
Thursday, February 20, 2014

We woke up to some slightly less sunny weather today, but were still confident that we would get to visit the Continent today.

Another iceberg. You can make out some pretty colours on an otherwise bleak looking morning.

Breakfast was the normal; arrive when you get up, buffet affair but it was interrupted by the announcement of Orca (killer whales) off the starboard bow. Turned out to be a group of about 40 Type A Antarctic Killer whales, who are known to eat minke whales in the area. They were quite cooperative this morning so the captain slowed down the boat and followed them for a little while so we could all get a good look.

Jeff looking at the whales. He didn't think Orca were enough of a draw to put on a coat this morning.

Our breakfast Orca. At this point I was still practising how best to capture all these moving targets when competing for good rail space with other travellers. I got better as the trip went on but this is the best whale picture I managed on this morning.

Some more of the beautiful colours you can see in an iceberg. I like this picture, because although it is a relatively small iceberg, you can clearly see how much  is below the water while how little is sitting above the surface.

It wouldn't be Antarctica without icebergs so expect a few more pictures.

Here is a nice sized one.

Yeah, that's a pretty big iceberg behind me....and still looking a little cold this morning.

Some penguins hanging out on an ice float. They will often do that for different reasons including to rest after feeding or to escape a predator that might be in the water.

After breakfast we were happy to find out that we would be making our morning landing. Procedure for the most part is always the same. We get called down in groups to get ready and then hop aboard the zodiacs. Our first stop was at Neko Harbour, where we got enjoy both a trip to the continent as well as a fun zodiac safari.

This is Shuri and Jason. Jason was part of a group that did some of the landings via sea kayak. I had thought about signing up for that group (had to be done before boarding the boat for insurance reasons) but haven't done a lot of sea kayaking so decided to go the easy route and stick to zodiacs.

Hmmm......fat little penguin...doing what penguins do best....sit there. This little guy is part of a very large Gentoo penguin colony that call Neko Harbour home.

Penguins have no land predators so nothing on land, including humans really scare them. So if you just sit, they always come wandering by....like you're not even there.

That's me hanging out with a little penguin this fine morning. Not to worry, I'm still 5 metres away.

The MS Expedition surrounded by some ice in Neko Harbour.

A small little avalanche. I spent a lot of time looking at the glaciers hoping to catch a calving (when pieces of it fall off and make icebergs). Caught a few but never able to get a good picture or video. By the time you hear it, it's basically over.

Shuri with a little penguin.

As I mentioned, we can't touch the penguins.....but they can touch us. This little one found Francesca very nice. He actually got very mad when she finally got up. Penguin chicks are always looking for warm places to hangout. Tourist laps certainly apply.

Cute little penguin chick....also just sitting there. One of the things that people do not tell you about the penguins is how much they smell. This time of year there are a lot of penguins malting (losing their feathers). This includes adults and chicks. They can't eat (because they cannot go in the water) so to conserve energy they just sit there, in one spot, hardly moving. They poop a lot though. And it's a good thing we have to stay 5 metres away because these little guys can shoot poop out a good half a metre.

See I told you I didn't always look cold. We had the opportunity to hike up a hill to check out a very pretty view. It is amazing how warm you get doing a little strenuous activity in the cold of Antarctica.

A few more penguins with our boat.

An example of how difficult it can be to take pictures in the snow. There was a lot of figuring out camera settings.

This one is a little bit better but that bright background makes it really difficult.

Jeff waiting for penguins to come talk to him. Eventually they did. They always do.

Once we had explored the land, we headed out on a zodiac safari. This is when we basically ride around in the immediate area to see what lovely little animals and stuff we can find. All the zodiac drivers are in radio contact with each other so if one person finds something cool, we all get to see it. Of course this depends on the the animals (or whales) staying in one place......which they rarely do.

That's a seal in the water.

Heading out on a zodiac safari looking for whales and icebergs and anything else we could find.

I mentioned before penguins are not the only birds in the region. These are Antarctic or Blue-eyed Shags.

Looking cold again. As you can imagine it was pretty cold out on the zodiacs, but got some good animal encounters so always fun.

Seals swimming. It is not easy to get them like this. The actually move pretty quick in the water. Not so much on land.

 A little crabeater seal resting on an icefloat. He seemed a little bit interested in us floating by, but not really enough to do much more than look at us. Crabeaters (and other seals in the area) spend most of their time on or in the water. They will swim around for days, sometimes weeks eating. When they are full they will find some ice to lay on.....and then just hang out there for days, sometimes weeks.

A closer look at a Blue-eyed Shag.

You might be tempted to drive a zodiac through this iceberg but that is never a safe thing to do. Look closely and you can see the portion under the water. Icebergs can be unstable and that underwater portion is sure to do some damage to the zodiac motor.

You can see the big difference between this seal and the fur seals. The main seals we see down here are fur seals, leopard seals, weddell seals, elephant seals and crabeater seals. Fur seals belong to a group called eared seals, and have external ears and hind flippers that can bend enabling them to walk. The others are known as true seals. They do not have external ears and are unable to walk. This particular seal I am pretty sure is a leopard seal, which is very exciting to see, because you don't always get to.

After lunch we made our way to our second stop at Paradise Bay. The area got it's name because it is enclosed and protected for harsh weather. Many ships have escaped storms while anchored in Paradise Bay over the years. These days Paradise Bay is also home to the Argentinian research base.

This is the Argentinian Base in Antarctica. It is only staffed during the summer (November to March). There were a few people around the site when we arrived.

With research bases belonging to many different countries spotting Antarctica, the question that is always asked is "who owns Antarctica?" The simple answer is no one does, although seven countries have claimed territory, some of which overlap. These claims are not universally recognized. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 which basically says no one can own it, and any activity that takes place on the continent must be peaceful and is mostly scientific related, preserving historical sites and of course must protect the ecosystem and the many animals that call it home. Many consider the treaty to be one of the most successful international agreements. I'll talk a bit more about bases in Antarctica in another post.

Yes this little penguin looks a little bit different than the others.

He looks like an albino but he is actually a rare leucistic gentoo chick. He has a genetic disorder where pigment cells are not present in the skin or feathers so he looks a little blond. You can see from his wing that he is losing his little baby fuzz and will soon be able to go in the water.

After checking out the base and the little penguins we had a chance to climb up a little hill where a make shift luge track had been carved out. Now I wish I would have taped the ride down but it really was like a giant water slide......on snow. Eventually we had to head back to the ship for dinner and to share stories from another amazing day.

The sun peaking through......near the end of the day.

Sun getting ready to set on anther day in Antarctica.

The view from the back of the ship as we leave our final landing of the day.

Another day over but still so many more to come.

Julie

Iceberg......Right Ahead

Travel through The Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014

Not to worry, we didn't even come close to hitting it, but we did in fact see our first iceberg of the trip. As I mentioned we had crossed of the Antarctic Convergence last evening and we woke up very excited to start seeing some animals and stuff. It really did not take long at all.

There she is.....our first iceberg. Not to worry, there will be many, many more and we'll get a lot closer. Icebergs are made up of fresh water and depending on their size, they can take anywhere from 50 to 200 years to melt. So this iceberg,...at least 50 years old. Pretty cool eh?

Land!!!! My first view of Antarctica. Well to be correct, these are some of the outer islands and not the continent itself but it all counts as Antarctica. 

Standing out on deck in my new jacket. I saw my first whales of the trip while taking this picture. Not totally sure what kind but my description of it being lighter in colour led people to think it was a Minke. 

The closest I got to getting a picture of the first whales of our trip. With the boat moving at a pretty good speed and the whales being unpredictable, you just never knew when and where they would breach next. I was always just a second too late on this day.

Penguins!!!!! Yep, first penguins of the trip. Very, very exciting.

Our plan of the day (or any day) was not known first thing in the morning. Whether or not we get to shore or where we might go to shore is usually very weather and ice dependent and can change at anytime. For us, there was no scheduled landing today, however, The Drake Passage was so nice to us, that we made fantastic time and arrived at the South Shetland Islands with some beautiful sunshine and plenty of time to get off the boat.

Of course we couldn't just jump off the boat and onto shore. There were a few more things to do first. As you can imagine, Antarctica is a very sensitive ecosystem so as tourists it is important that we do not introduce anything foreign. So all our outer clothes and bags and anything we would take to the continent with us (unless new), had to be checked for foreign particles and vacuumed. 

Anxiously waiting to get off the boat.

A look at some of the beautiful glaciers in the area.

Eventually it was time for us to get off the big boat and take our first steps on Antarctica. Anyone who has been on a cruise knows that getting people on and off the boat can be a bit of procedure. Heading to Antarctica is made a little bit more complicated by the fact that laws stipulate only a certain number of tourists can be on land at a time and we need to do our best not to disturb any animals in the area. This means a few things. First, that members of the crew go to shore first in order to mark out some areas and walking trails for us. Second it means they often have to find ways to split the group. Lucky for us, we were on a relatively small boat (some have 500 or 600 passengers, so when a max of 100 people can be on land, means not everyone is going to get a chance to get off the boat) so it worked out pretty good.

At this stop there were two islands that we got to visit, Barrientos and Cecelia Islands. We were called down in groups and then transferred to the islands by the zodiacs. This time our numbers were easily split between the 2 islands. The landing was about 2 hours long, so once you had enough at one island, you simply hopped on a zodiac and they took you to the other, or back to the ship if you preferred that. 

I patiently waited for my number to be called and got in line for a zodiac. We all carry electronic ID cards that we scan as we get on and off the ship. Of course you do not always have to get off the boat but unless you were dying (and there were a few illnesses on the boat as you can imagine) why come all this way and not get your boots on the ground? After a short little zodiac ride I very excitedly stepped foot on my 7th continent for the first time.

And look who decided to greet me. Mr. Chinstrap Penguin. So named for the black stripe across the throat. Easy to pick out.

A couple little fur seals having a bit of a fight on the beach. The guys aren't babies but they aren't fully grown just yet either. Adolescent males is how they were described to us. They weren't fighting for territory or females, they were just practicing.

Not just ice and wildlife to look at. There are also some very interesting geographical formations in the area as well.

Of course penguins are not the only birds to see. Antarctica is home to a lot of different birds. These are Southern Giant Petrels. The little fuzzy one in the front is of course still a chick. This birds will eat krill, fish and small squid, usually while swimming but can also dive while flying.

Look at this lazy little fur seal taking a nap in the sun. He looks so peaceful. For seals, we had to try to stay at least 15 metres away from them so as not to disturb them. Apparently if they chase you, running is not the best response. Better to turn around and growl at them. As fun as it would be to be chased by a seal in Antarctica....I'll probably try to avoid it.

A cute little penguin, just coming out of the water.

Where's Waldo......for beginners.

Just sitting there....as penguins do.

This is an adult penguin and penguin chick. These are Gentoo penguins. They are not that different in size at this stage, but you can see the chick is still very fuzzy. Until he loses all those soft little feathers he has to live on land, depending on his parents to bring him food.

A little chinstrap penguin.....just wandering around. You can see the MS Expedition and 2 waiting zodiacs in the background.

Another shot of some penguins and the boats in the background.

How cute is this little chick? 

Yes I am looking a little cold. My first Antarctic experience with my thin warm weather blood. Don't worry, I won't always look this cold.

Hmmm......does the pole taste good?

Or maybe my pants taste good.

Simple rules when it comes to the penguins; stay at least 5 metres away and you can't touch them. However, the rules don't apply to the animals themselves, which means they can come as close to you was they want. It seems unfair.....and a little tempting.

Eventually it was time to head back to the ship, but the first landing did not disappoint. Made me very excited for the rest of the trip. After the landing we had a briefing, just to discuss what we saw and how everyone was feeling after our first landing. I can assure you the room was full of happy people.

The briefing was followed by dinner. Excellent as always.

Now this is what happens when you ask for a "lactose free" meal. You get fruit for dessert......while Jeff gets a cream filled, chocolate covered eclair. Not fair.

Well day one in Antarctica was in the books. Tomorrow hopefully we would get to touch more land.....and this time the actual continent.

Julie