Kayaking in Antarctica

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So on teh 28th, after another rough weather morning with no landings we finally got to make a landing / go kayaking in the afternoon. This was pretty exciting for everyone! Although it wasn't "continental" Antarctica and was just an island it was still the first time we were setting foot on Antarctic soil / rock / snow / whatever - we weren't really sure. The location for this momentous event was Petermann Island. So again we kitted up in thermals and dry suit and this time we were allowed to actually get in our kayaks. It was kinda weird seeing all my friends leave and head over at a much faster pace than me to the island. They were getting there faster, they were taking their good cameras, they didn't have to do any work to get there. Part of me was kind of jealous.

But then we were out on the water and we were paddling and I was remembering how to do it! It's been a few years since the last time I did some sea kayaking. It was with Sam and Scott and Ben for one of Scott's birthday's back in the day. This was nothing like that. Then we were in open kayaks where you kinda sat on top of it and were completely exposed to sun and elements. Her we were in an enclosed kayak with "skirts" that were elasticised to keep the water out. There I was wearing swimmers. Here I was wearing a dry suit. There it was the warm waters off Stradbroke Island. Here it was the very cold waters off Antarctica.

But I think I got the hang of it pretty quickly. Over time Jarek and I had a few issues, but generally we knew what we were doing together. We were by far the fastest pair out there. We'd be there before everyone else. Even if "there" wasn't somewhere everyone else was going. But even when we did go in the wrong direction (through eagerness) we never had any problems catching back up.

In all I went kayaking 6 times, missing 2 oppurtunities in favour of landings and 3 because Benoit decided to not take us out, maybe due to weather, maybe because Jarek and I had planned on flipping our kayak just for fun. Maybe a combination of both.

From those 6 times I ended up with some sore muscles (which got better as time when on and my technique got better) and some fantastic memories. One of the standouts was the very first time we went out... we were just about to head into land at Petermann Island and suddenly we couldn't find Benoit - what could be taking him so long? So we went over to where he was and what did we see? A leopard seal eating a penguin! Not your everyday sight. And not a sight for the squeamish. It was disgusting but also beautiful. A true example of how brutal nature can be. My only other emotion at the time was fear. My partner Jarek, who I may have mentioned previously as a tad bit eager, wanted to get closer. All I wanted was to stay where we were. Three meters from an animal with teeth that sharp was quite close enough. And I had no idea how it would react if it thought we were going to try and take it's snack. And I had no desire to find out. The result would have been rather comical for a spectator with me paddling backwards and Jarek paddling forward. But I still have all my limbs so I guess in the end we didn't get too close.

Another stand out was one day when only three of us decided to go out. We found this lovely little bay and we were playing with all the ice in the water, throwing softball sized pieces at each other (without intending to hit of course) and genrally mucking about. It was an aspect of the ocean and Antarctica that only the 3 of us (and Benoit) got to experience. Pretty awesome.

We also managed to: set foot on continental Antarctica before everyone else by landing when we weren't supposed to; get to parts of the landing sites no one else got to go to and just generally see things from a different perspective. I highly recommend the experience. It wasn't cheap, but at $800 for 6 x 1.5 - 2.5 hour kayaking sessions, it was actually cheaper than spending the same amount of time in a kayak on the Brisbane River.

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Photos

Niiiiice Leopard Seal..
Eat that penguin and leave me alone thanks

Leopard seal and our ship
It really is a photogenic ship

It's a sail not a paddle
The wind was so strong we decided to try our hands at sailing instead of kayaking

Benoit
Our fearless kayak master

Pretty Bird.
Kevin the bird nerd would be upset...

Why'd you wake me up?
Love the drool