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Published: February 24th 2013
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The next stop was Neko Harbour, our first continental landing! The landing was delayed due to many icebergs beaching themselves near the shore and blocking access for the Zodiacs. Though a suitable spot was found, we had to jump out into waist high water. My waterproof pants came in very handy. Our walking route took us through some more Gentoo penguin colonies and up to a great lookout across the bay and over a massive glacier. We were lucky enough to see a couple of decent sized ice calvings off the face of the glacier. The noise produced was very cool. On the way back down to the beach we were given two options – walk or slide. Obviously I chose the slide. No OH&S babysitting here. It was quite steep and I got some speed up. I zipped up and tucked in every possible pocket and sleeve to prevent snow getting in, but once I got airborne and snow bombarded my face it was a lost cause. Some tumbling occurred. But how I got snow into my boots I’ll never know. I saw some more Skua’s circling the penguins and a couple attempted some dive bombs but this time they
were fended off. It was cool to watch.
After yet another gut-busting dinner we took the Zodiac’s out for a cruise around Paradise Bay. That’s the beauty of having near 24 hour sunlight, you can fit more into the day. Actually, there is a second beauty. Sunsets that last for 6 hours. Combine that with the location and you have an unbelievable setting. Our cruise took us right up to some big glacier fields. Some of the ice pinnacles were amazing with really deep blue colours emitting through the crevasses. We were also treated to some hot mulled wine as we glided around. A perfect day.
Our third and final day on the continent required an early 6am start, but nobody complained. First stop was Petermann island. This was the southernmost point we travelled to, but not quite inside the Antarctic circle. We saw some more penguin colonies, most with new born chicks. It was interesting to see the Cormorant birds nesting in between the penguins. They had no issues getting along. There were some impressive icebergs nestled inside the bay and we also spied a National Geographic ship.
After this we headed to Pleneau Island. This
was possibly the biggest highlight for me – nearly 2 hours cruising around huge icebergs in the Zodiacs. Icebergs get trapped in the bay and have nowhere to go. Some of them had shapes you could not even think of. We saw 2 huge bergs with ice bridges where the water had worn away the middle. Just incredible. Another reason why you see these fantastic patterns, ripples, and strange formations on the icebergs is that the section under water is eroded and worn down over time. Combine that with occasional calvings from the above water section and the centre of gravity changes enough so that the iceberg rotates and flips over. This happens many times over the life of the iceberg and you get the many varied surfaces you see in the photos. It was also cool to see some icebergs that had big chunks of dirt and stone still lodged in them from their time when attached to land. Your mind really does get a workout from trying to imagine and comprehend these things.
Here we were also lucky to see a number of Humpback Whales. They are feeding this time of year and they follow a fairly
precise pattern. They will perform 2 or 3 berths out of the water a minute or so apart, then one deep dive lasting approximately 7 minutes. The Zodiac drivers then drive around trying to predict where they are going to pop up next so we can get close to them. It was quite fun. One of the other Zodiacs had a whale swim directly under them but I wasn’t so lucky unfortunately. I did still have some very close views. Pretty damn cool.
To cap off this great spot, afterwards we received the call for participants in the Polar Plunge. I had no doubt I was going to do it. I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity for anything, despite knowing how cold it would be. The temperature was just above freezing; 2 degrees. I jumped into my boardies and mentally prepared myself. They attached a harness around your waist for safety reasons. I guess in case you go into shock. I decided beforehand that I didn’t want to just jump in and jump straight out. I wanted to at least stay in for 10-15 seconds and fully experience the frigid water. I kind of jumped out further than I
realised and combined with the backwash of the ship it took me around 30 seconds to swim back. I guess I got my experience. And yes, it was even colder than I prepared myself for. Around half the passengers did it which was quite commendable. Although I didn’t see the 89 year old guy out there. Weak.
After a nice hot shower and barbeque for lunch we headed to Port Lockroy, a permanently occupied British outpost. Part of the building had been converted into a museum, displaying artifacts and recreations of life in the hut in the 1950’s. Very interesting. Though the main reason for their presence is ‘research-related’, it seemed to me it was just a glorified gift shop. But at least you could send postcards from here. I’m not sure how long it would take for them to get home, but we shall know soon enough!
There were more penguins here and it was quite funny to see them having built their nests all around the huts, under the steps, and under the British flagpole. Quite the juxtaposition. The penguins here were very active in collecting their small stones for their nests. If you’ve ever seen
Blue Planet there is a piece showing them doing this. It’s quite funny to see the penguins waddling off, picking out their stone, returning to the nest and dropping it off. It seems to be their sole purpose in life. But the best part was watching penguins waiting til the other penguins went off to look for stones then steal those of their neighbours! Some got caught out, resulting in a minor squawk-off or even a biting scuffle, but many were cunning enough to get away with it. You could watch them for hours. Fascinating.
Across the bay was the island of Jougla where we saw a Weddell seal sunbathing and some large whale bones. The skull was the size of a small vehicle.
So upon leaving Port Lockroy we realised our time in Antarctica was almost at an end. No more landings, just a cruise back through the picturesque Gerlache straight and back across the Drake passage. It all went so fast, we couldn’t really believe it was nearly over. Just as we contemplating this and taking a quiet moment to relive the moments of the past few days on the ship’s deck we received the message
that a pod of Killer Whales had been spotted off the front of the ship. What?!
Apparently it is not too common to see these and the captain altered course so we could follow them for more than 20 minutes. I counted at least 10-12 swimming together, popping up frequently to blow out a stream of water. There were a number of young amongst them which was cool. The size of the male’s fin was huge. Just an unreal cherry to top off what was the best cake I’ve ever eaten.
The cross back over the Drake was fairly uneventful again, though the seas were a little bigger. We had a bit of a party the last night and finished off a lot of the beer. It was around midnight and we were just entering the Beagle channel when I was thinking it was interesting that we never saw any dolphins on the trip. Antarctica just isn’t a place for them. Sure enough not long after that a girl’s shriek came from out on deck and everyone rushed out to see what the commotion was. Yep, several dolphins swimming alongside the boat welcoming us back to land. You
couldn’t write a better script I don’t think. I felt very fortunate to have been one of just 30,000 people to visit the Ice Continent every year.
If you’ve ever dreamed of going to Antarctica, I can tell you it doesn’t just have to be a dream. It is a fulfilling, rewarding, mind-altering, mesmerising, and magical place (just a few of the many more superlatives). And for me it was worth every dollar.
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jamie g
non-member comment
awesome!
I love these updates mate! The mind really does boggle at the immensity of the place. You're very fortunate to have been down there. I have a bit of a family history with the place that I will fill you in on next time we meet. Safe travels!