We enjoyed our cruise over to Paradise
Cove for two reasons - 1. we weren't soaking wet and cold, 2. we found
a humpback whale with a calf that swam around the boat for over an
hour. Several times the whales swam right under the boat and then surfaced along side it. Here we were able to set foot on the actual
continent (not just an island) for the first time. It was nice to
stretch our legs and hike to the top of a little hill. The views
were ok, with only light snow and wind. On the way down the hill
someone had spotted a luge like shoot which we could slide down
instead of hiking. It was fun to watch everyone tumble and twist
down the luge.
That night the weather held out enough
to be able to camp. Around 8:30 we got off the ship and headed on to
a tiny island to set up our bivy bags. Of course it started snowing
as soon as we landed. We managed to get our bags set up in the snow
as the wind picked up a little bit. We decided to take advantage of
all the snow the past few days and build a snow wind-wall to protect
our heads. As it was dark we didn't have much else to do but crawl
into our bags. We slept surprisingly well, maybe all the camping we
have done this year paid off. The fresh snow made the ground much
nicer to lay on. During the night the snow and wind came and went
but we ended up having the best weather night for camping. The next
morning we woke early and headed back to the boat.
The ship headed towards Neeko Harbor,
with the potential for a polar plunge! The point we wanted to land
on was covered in an ice flow, but luckily our zodiacs were able to
find a place to land. Right after we landed the wind and snow really
picked up. We were grateful for the wind since Neeko Harbor smelled a
lot like 500 full porta-potties all lined up. As we hiked the ridge
the snow turned into a blizzard and we started wishing for our ski
goggles. At the top we didn't have much of a view but it didn't
smell like penguin poo, so we weren't too disappointed. After a few
minutes we ventured back down to the penguin smell and calmer weather.
The ice surrounding the point had moved a ton in the hour we were
onshore. You could look out and see it flowing like a river.
Luckily the ice left a little pool of water alone and we still had a
chance to take the polar plunge. We quickly stripped down to our
swimsuits and took off running, gopro in hand. The water was icy
cold (including mini icebergs grounded in the pool) but that wasn't
the worst part. Once we got out of the water and into the wind and
snow we were sooo much colder. We threw back on some clothes as
quickly as possible but our hands and feet still went numb. After
watching a few more people make the plunge we jumped in the first
zodiac back to the boat for a warm shower and dry clothes! The place
we got to plunge was great because we were surrounded by icebergs
and snow, you can definitely tell it was COLD!
After lunch we had the option to take a
zodiac tour around the ice. We were still wet and cold from the
plunge, and it was windy and sleeting outside so we questioned
whether or not to go. Adam decided to stay behind and I ventured out
alone, just incase anything epic happened. We cruised through the
brash ice, bergy bits (small icebergs) and huge icebergs. I saw my
first crabeater seal and also a couple leopard seals laid out on the
ice. The zodiacs allowed us to get quite close to the seals. After
an hour or 2 we were all freezing and headed back to the boat for
dinner. The boat lifted anchor and headed north.
Because of the terrible weather that
forced us to turn north early we actually gained a day of unexpected
activities. Kelvin, the expedition leader, arranged for us to visit
Deception Island and Hanna Point. Both of these are north of
Antarctica in the Shetland Islands. We awoke the next morning just
as Deception Island came into view. We also saw our first sun since
the first landing day. Deception Island is an active volcano, with a
flooded caldera, so it is shaped like a big C. We entered through
Neptune's Bellows, the entrance to the bay within the island. This
was a completely unexpected look for Antarctica. It reminded me of
the moon or the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand. After a hike up
to a lookout and exploring the remains of a whaling station and
research station (which was destroyed in the 1980's by the last
eruption), we watched a few people take the polar plunge again. There
was no ice in this water, but it was still freezing (2 deg C warmer
then the previous day). With the sun shining people seemed to enjoy
their dip (and digging a hole in the sand to reach the thermal waters
below). We left Deception Island and ate lunch enroute to Hanna
Point.
At Hanna Point the weather was still in
our favor, allowing us to make an amazing landing. Our leaders said
they can only land about a quarter of the times they try, if that.
Hanna Point was covered in animals! We saw Chinstrap and Macaroni
Penguins for the first time. About halfway through our island walk
we see what looked like a giant mud puddle. It was actually elephant
seals. We spent quit a bit of time watching these giant belching
animals. You definitely can't call them cute, but they were
entertaining! We ended up spending about 3 hrs on the island. As
the sun began setting we boarded the zodiacs for the last time and
said goodbye to Antarctica.
 |
| Blue Whale Tail |
Over the next couple days
our lucky streak continued and we saw something I NEVER thought I
would see.....not one but TWO BLUE WHALES!! When Kelvin spotted them
he was ecstatic, he told us he had only seem 3 in all of his
Antarctic trips, two of those being the ones we saw. Since the
weather was so good we had time to follow them with the boat. They
got within 70 meters of the boat at one point. They are HUGE, you
see a head, and then a blow and about 4 seconds later a tiny little
fin. One of the Blue Whales even showed us his tail!! I was in awe,
you always here about how Blue Whales are big but seeing them in
person was stunning. While the Blue Whales were a highlight we also
saw Finn Whales (the 2nd largest whales), Southern Wright
Whales, and Pigmy Minky Whales. I'll take the bad weather in
Antarctica in exchange for the Drake Lake and whale spotting we had
on the way home. Antarctica was amazing, and beyond any expectations
I had. If you ever have a chance to go you need to, definitely worth
every penny.
Check out the rest of our Antarctica pics here
(Thanks to straight and mostly smooth
roads in Chile and Argentina for allowing me to get us caught up!)
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