It’s iceberg day! The storm system in Antarctica continues to dissipate, the ship has entered calmer waters, and the horizon is now dotted with thousands of icebergs, including tabular icebergs! The expedition team was hoping to get into zodiacs this morning and land on Danger Island, however conditions were not ideal due to ice and high winds.
As the ship is safely navigated through the ice, the education program offered students the opportunity to join Eric Galbraith, who led a CTD experiment off the stern deck, or to learn about the Nordenskold Expedition from Olle Carlsson. The Nordenskold Expedition is particularly relevant today, as the team sails through the same region where the expedition took place!
After an early lunch, the team loaded the zodiac for their first cruise and their first landing, on Paulet Island. Team members increased their wildlife sightings to include whales, penguins, seals, snow petrels and Wandering Albatrosses!
Check out yesterday’s update for new journal entries received last night from students and staff!
Fur seals on beach of Paulet Island with bergs and ship in distance
Afternoon Update
Posted from SOI World HQ
The team had a successful zodiac cruise! As we approached Paulet Island, the wind died down, the sun came out, and we embarked on a magical, perfect, sunny, warm, calm sea, filled afternoon.
We cruised through gigantic icebergs, sighted Leopard seals, Crabeater seals, Minke whales, and conducted a second CTD experiment. Upon landing on Paulet Island, the team hiked over the island, observed Fur seals and Adelie penguins. Marianne Douglas led a water sampling workshop in the ponds and Olle continued his storytelling about the Nordenskold Expedition. To end the lecture, Olle led the group to the old huts built by Nordenskold and his crew which are still standing to this day!
After the hike, the team divided into two groups. One group returned to the zodiacs and continued their tour of the icebergs. The other group hiked to the top of the volcano. Everyone has forgotten about the Drake Passage with students exclaiming that it was worth the sickness to experience such an amazing day!
With everyone safely back on board after a jam-packed afternoon, the team prepares for dinner and the evening program. The ship is now sailing toward the Antarctic Sound, as the sun sets and the light is out of this world. It will be a perfect evening to get out on deck and soak up the scenery!
NEW VIDEO!
Crossing the Drake Passage
Student Nishtha Sinha
Journal Entry by Nishtha Sinha,
India/Bhutan
Paulet Island, Weddell Sea
This morning I woke up to my roommate squealing. Still sleepy, I looked outside the small porthole window in our room and saw the most beautiful sight in the world. Icebergs. They were everywhere. I knew I was dreaming. It was way too pretty to be real. I rubbed my eyes and the icebergs were still there. We just sat there with our mouths hanging open looking at them. I think we sat there awestruck for 15 minutes.
After catching my breath, I went down to the deck and nothing in the world could have prepared me for the sight that met me. There were huge icebergs floating all around our ship and sea birds following us. The penguins were jumping in and out of the water and a handful of us even got to see seals. The wind was blowing at around 40 to 50 knots and we were flying all over the deck.
Just ten minutes back, I saw yet another “out of this world” sight. It was a completely blue iceberg, it was just amazing. I think everyone in this world should get to see one of them and see what they are melting.
Good evening, everybody. Today was the best day of my life. We made a landing on Pulet Island and omigod…..I have no words to describe the things that I saw today. From my first zodiac cruise to the seals that dotted the beach. I am so humbled by the beauty that I saw today. There were animals all around me. I saw four species of seals, three species of penguins and about ten species of sea birds. The best thing about all this was that the animals did not view us as a threat. We were so close to them and they did not seem to mind. This is the way humans and wildlife should live. Just looking at the seals made me wonder how anyone could ever kill them. The way they show off and the way they look at you with huge eyes could melt the coldest of hearts. Even their farts and burps are cute. Did I tell you that a penguin (I swear that they are the cutest creatures ever!) actually walked over to us and I was sitting so close to it that if I had just stretched my hand a bit I could have touched it. It was the cutest thing ever. I think it was a chick and it was molting its down feathers and it had this small patch of feather on its head which looked like a Mohawk. (Jiya, please explain to ma).
We went for a zodiac cruise today and were zipping through a field of icebergs. Our zodiac was probably very lucky, as we got to see an iceberg flip, the bottom part which is under the sea came up and the upper part went down. We even had Antarctic ice lollies. We broke the icicles and crunched on them. Some could even be more than a thousand years old!!!!!!!! The really bad part about today’s landing was the penguin poop stuck on the soles of our boots and pants. But that was an experience in itself I guess.
Today we were very lucky and got to see a sunset in the Antarctic continent. Let me tell you, they are rare and if you by any chance get to see one, you will be left dumbstruck by the sheer beauty of it, just as I was. The sky was painted by a thousand different colours and all the colours were reflected by the ice and the ocean. It is just too much to process at once and get over. Actually I really do not want to ever get over it.
Oh yes, just five minutes back, I was out on the deck and it is night time and I actually got to see the moon. It was a fiery crescent hanging in the sky. It was hanging so low that it looked like it was floating in the ocean.
I really must take this opportunity to thank BAJAJ –ALLIANZ for sponsoring me and for making this expedition possible. Without your support I would never have been able to experience some of the best experiences in my life!!!! Thank you once again.
Good night!!!!!!
Love to you all.
Nishta
Approaching Elephant Island
Journal Entry by Rosie Bettle,
Manningtree, England
Paulet Island, Weddell Sea
So this morning I woke up, and shortly heard Geoff’s announcement, telling us about the beautiful icebergs outside. Suddenly, I didn’t mind getting out of bed so much, and raced out of my cabin to go up on deck. Outside there were tabular icebergs all around us, and silhouetted against the bright blue sky they were stunning. Later on, an albatross came and flew right over the deck, and in a few minutes some penguins appeared alongside the ship, porpoising in the water. It was pretty amazing.
Bergy Bit
Journal Entry by Vincent Lok,
Vancouver, BC
Paulet Island, Weddell Sea
I took some photos of an absolutely brilliant blue berg. T’was brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Blue-Eyed Shag rookery
Journal Entry by Lindsey Andersen,
Northbrook, Illinois
Paulet Island, Weddell Sea
From tea parties with the gang to late night talks with Rosie (my roommate), I am truly realizing how lucky I am. HUGE KUDOS to I2P for making this expedition possible for Dylan and I. I can safely say—you have changed us for the rest of our lives. Well, it’s time for bed. Good night!
Students and Staff examine results from a CTD sensor
Journal Entry by Emilie Hebert-Houle,
UQTR, Trois-Rivieres
Top end of Antarctic Sound
Hey people, hey students, hey teachers!
Do you remember, guys, when I visited your classes, we bet on the first thing I would see down on my way to Antarctica?
Lots of you thought I would see penguins first, others icebergs and albatross. Here are the official results after 4 days at sea.
Here are my journal entries:
1st : Wandering albatros on February 17th at 6:35AM
On our first morning at sea, Dan and I had decided to wake up early to make some yoga to deal better with the Drake Passage conditions. When I got upstairs, I went on the deck and saw them : 2 or 3 wandering albatross smoothly making their way behind our vessel. It was so graceful. It was a moment I had waited for and they were there.
2nd : Finn whales on February 18th at 12:50 PM (noon)
We were having lunch and they were calling : Finn whales (rorqual commun) right in front of the boat, the second biggest mammal on earth! Woohoo!
3rd : Penguins on February 18th at 12h58 PM
As we were searching for more whales, a whole group of penguins were following us by the boat, jumping out of the water.
4th : Icebergs on February 19th at 6h47 AM
We could tell icebergs would soon be there, but how amazing it was to open your eyes, to look out the port hole and SEE them floating next to us like an entire army.
5th : Seal on February 19th at 12h25 PM
Most people had seen some seals already, but I was not on deck when they did. I saw my first seal this morning as I was observing through my binoculars the big white floating mountains. It just popped out of the water, unexpected and surprising in the moment, as seeing life in Antarctica is.
Those sightings were quite isolated, but this afternoon on Paulet Island, we saw hundreds of fur seals and cormorans , a few adelie penguins, skuas, snowy sheath bill, weddel seals and one elephant seal (he was so big). AND the most exciting of it all, I saw 2 leopard seals lying on an iceberg and as we were leaving the island on the zodiac, one followed us a bit and was swimming right under us. I have to confess that I was a little stressed, especially when Marianne Douglas ( a scientists) told us they sometimes bite the zodiacs !!!!
I could continue all night long, Antarctica completely seduced me today.
I send you my best farewells and truly think about you all the time, you students studying indoors!
Ho, and by the way, I won the bet!
Leopard Seal
Journal Entry by Mark Donovan,
Edmonton / University of Alberta
Paulet Island, Weddell Sea
There are so many incredible things to write about and I’m not sure where to start. We landed today on our first piece of Antarctic land, at Paulet Island. I never thought that after the days and days of traveling we did to get here we would ever actually make it. But here we are, here I am, re-watching videos on my camera of the penguins I saw waddling through the ice on dry land earlier today. It’s an amazing sight, and something that I don’t think I can describe very accurately with just words.
Other than the beautiful icebergs and incredible wildlife that I could talk about for hours, this has been an incredible experience on its own. I’ve met dozens of new people from all over the world and am thankful to everyone who helped me find my way to the South Pole. I am so excited to see all the rest of what Antarctica has to offer, and will do my best to survive all the work involved along the way.
Mom and Dad, I’ll have thousands of stories for you when I get back home… but like always, I wish I could just stay here forever!
Students and wildlife on Paulet Island
Journal Entry by
Sydney vanLoon,
Pemberton B.C; University of Northern British Columbia
Antarctic Sound
I traveled all the way to the other side of the world to encounter it. Find it. Sense it. Realize it. As Mark Twain once quoted, you must “throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” For that is what each and every one of us aboard the Ushuaia has come here to do. We certainly have sailed away from the safe harbor and this was evident for many of us who spent two days laying on the floor, face first into a puke bag, crossing the Drake Passage. As for the trade winds, perhaps that is what we could use to explain today.
While perched like a penguin on the edge of a slope overlooking Paulet Island, absorbing the roars of the fur seals, and the heart throbbing views, it came to me. Not only did the historical meaning of Paulet Island hit me, and the heroic story of the men on the Otto Nordenskiold Expedition that wintered over there for two years, but so did the serenity. For the first time in a while, I sat in one place, truly and utterly content. It is hard to even begin to explain the feeling, but it was so real… wholesome… true… and my heart swelled. As an outdoor addict, I realize I say that a lot – see places that capture my heart. But Antarctica has gone above and beyond and whole heartedly has captured my love. Corny? Perhaps you have to have that feeling of intense happiness and contentedness rush over you. Some people get it walking down busy city streets. Or while driving into a sunset on the prairies. Or maybe while sitting around a picnic table with loved ones. But for me, it comes when I am at a place that I feel completely relaxed and the simple things amuse me. I could spend years scrounging around simply looking at the different rocks, observing animal behaviors, soaking in the smell of the sea, and even watching the water sway back and fourth over tiny pebbles on the beach.
Today was a day I will never forget. Woken by icebergs, welcomed by thousands of penguins, and whistled at by fur seals, today is a day that leaves a sparkle in your eye and something that does not disappear quickly. And this is what I realized. This is what hit me. The feeling of being 100% content, the type that people strive for throughout their lives to reach. And we are fortunate enough to obtain it in a single day. For many of us, we realize how precious of a day this has been, and I only hope that the younger people aboard are able to reflect upon it, and constantly strive to repeat that feeling, time and time again. To bring it back to a more personal level, I hope that I can spend the rest of my life in that moment. Holding onto it with an uncontrollable smile.
Although most of us have literally ‘had the day of our lives’, it does not mean that you, the humble viewers at home, should be left alone. Perhaps you can imagine yourself here, along side us on the M/V Ushuaia sailing down the Antarctic Sound. Smell the crisp Antarctic air and feel a tingle the back of your throat. Watch the various sea birds gracefully dance next to the ship, and absorb the vibrant blue colour of icebergs until your heart is content. I hope you can submerge yourself in the world that we are fortunate enough to explore, and can not wait to share it with you all back home.
A young Adelie Penguin chases after it's mother hoping for some food
Journal Entry by Susie Nulukie,
Kuujjuaq Jaanimmarik
Antarctic Peninsula
The song in my head all day is “I’m in heaven”.
Yesterday was the first time I had ever seen a penguin. Today was the first time stepping on Antarctica. Wow, right now, since like six or something, there has been a really nice sunset; it’s really really beautiful. That is why the song “I’m in heaven” is stuck in my head. I’ll say more stuff tomorrow because today on the blog all I wanted to say was “I’m in heaven”.
I will put a picture on tomorrow, maybe some really nice ones.
Evening sun
Journal Entry by
Zoë Bowden and Lexie Robertson,
Tutukaka Coast, New Zealand / Toronto, Canada
Paulet Island, Weddell Sea
Our first ‘real’ day in Antarctica started at 3.30 am, when a glance out the window, midway through yet another tumultuous, sleepless night, confirmed that sunrise was imminent and our first icebergs had arrived. Hastily pulling Gore-Tex over PJs, we raced up, and officially claimed our bragging rights as having seen Students on Ice’s very first icebergs. Cold winds mean short trips outdoors however, and we spent the remaining hours of dawn enjoying strong Argentinian coffee in the ships bridge with the crew.
Our delirious tiredness soon departed with the help of regular intakes of caffeine and the brain chilling breeze outside. Divided into Orcas and Leopard Seals we ‘zodiaced’ into Paulet Island. Laying silently in the snow, a small molting Adelie penguin was coaxed within a meter of the two of us, whilst we excitedly took pictures and videos. Fifty minutes later, it was time to leave our new found friend. At first the chick followed, but soon was approached by a Skua. We turned our heads, and tried not to think about the way our planet works.
Paulet Island is also home to abundant Fur Seals, Leopard Seals and Elephant Seals whose ablutions provided a nostril stinging perfume for us to enjoy. Eventually though, mind overcomes matter and you simply stop smelling. Relief was provided in the form of a zodiac cruise around the island and through icebergs varying in colour, shapes, size and age.
Although somewhat fatigued, its amazing how Antarctica can have such a profound impact in the space of one day.
Ciao
Lexie and Zoë
CA and NZ
Student William Millar
Journal Entry by William Millar, Renfrew, ON
Paulet Island
WOW! The wildlife and landscape we saw today was incomparable, the up close interaction with the penguins and seals made today spectacular. I would be content to go home today, but thankfully, I have a few more great, fun filled days on this amazing continent. We disembarked from the zodiacs at Paulet Island today, and we smelled the Adele penguins well before we saw them. We wove between the icebergs and landed on the pebble beach. Half of us traveled on the beach path, and the other half, including myself followed the lake path. The mountains, the volcano, the seabirds, everything is just so unbelievable, I know that in the years to come I will still cherish this place and these amazing people. But the real highlight of my day today was the zodiac cruise. It is simply eerie how none of the animals here have been touched by the destructive hand of humankind, having absolutely no fear of us. The zodiacs really do allow you to become one with Antarctica, it´s just so surreal, and impossible to describe, so I leave you with my best photo of the day.
A windy arrival
Journal Entry by L-A Shibish, Vancouver Island University
Drake Passage
There just are not enough adjectives to truly describe ‘the moment of truth’ when we saw the jagged mountains of Elephant Island appear through the mist. After 2 days of suffering the rough Drake Passage crossing, the outlines of the mountains in the mist seem like a mirage. But as we came closer and could see through the mist, it was unmistakable that we had arrived in Antarctica. Mountains rising sharply out of the sea, and valleys filled with glaciers, and all sorts of cold water fauna.
A welcoming party of seabirds escorted us as the ship came in close for a view of the place where the Shackleton party took refuge. Chinstrap penguins surfed beside the boat. Earlier in the day, we also saw a couple of finback whales, some misplaced dolphins and some seals.
We have arrived. At the evening de-briefing session, the air was electric. Spirits are high, and we all have great expectations for tomorrow’s arrival at the continent of Antarctica.
Earlier in the day, we had lectures on Ice and Icebergs: Introduction to the Antarctic Ice Sheet. After dinner we watched the Shackleton movie. To now be here, at the exact spot where Shackleton left his crew to go and get help, and to learn more about their truly heroic struggles for survival brings everything into perspective. There is no comparison between our journey and Shackleton’s. It is humbling to walk in his footprints.
Students Tasha Peterson, Hannah Koslowsky and Kendra Johnston
Journal Entry by Maéva Gauthier, Mt-Tremblant, Qc, University of Victoria
Danger Islands and Paulet Island, Antarctic Peninsula
Français
Quelle journée incroyable! Ça y est, je suis accro à ces grands espaces, la nature avec un grand «N», celle qui nous rend humble et qui nous inspire! Geoff nous a réveillé à l’intercom ce matin avec son typique: «Good morning Students on Ice…», mais un peu plus tôt cette fois-ci (6h45am) car nous étions arrivés dans le pays des icebergs! Entre autres, des icebergs tabulaires, qui sont à sommet plat, d’autres érodés, en blocs, biseautés et non-tabulaires. Le passage à Heroina island, une des Danger Islands, fut bref. Nous n’avons pu aborder l’île car la glace nous en empêchait. Nous avons donc poursuivi vers Paulet Island, naviguant dans un paysage du bout du monde entre les icebergs (bravo pour le capitaine!). L’arrivée à Paulet Island concorda avec le soleil qui se pointa le bout du nez. 6 degrés celcius, ciel dégagé, il n’en fallait pas plus pour être complètement énervés de partir en zodiac vers l’île. 6h de marche, émerveillement et contemplation nous attendait. Très peu de manchots Adélie étaient encore présents, tandis qu’il y en avait des centaines de milliers il y a 17 jours. La saison de reproduction est terminée. Nous avons vu 4 sortes de phoques: des tonnes de «fur seals», 1 «Elephant seal», 3 phoques léopard… Beaucoup de cormorans également. Wow, la vie en abondance, c’est incroyable de marcher à quelques mètres d’animaux beaucoup plus gros que nous! Ensuite, on a embarqué dans un tour de zodiac pour s’en approcher un peu plus. Quelle journée magnifique et des tonnes de photos plus tard, je suis complètement épuisée.
Demain, une autre belle journée qui s’annonce vers Deception Island. Oui je sais, le nom ne l’indique pas, mais bon…
English:
Wow, what a day! I’m hooked! Inspiring wilderness that makes you feel humble and aware of the fragility of this world. Geoff woke us up with the typical: “Good morning Students on Ice…” but it was a bit earlier (6h45am). We have entered iceberg country! Tabular icebergs (flat-topped), drydock, blocky, wedged and non-tabular ones: icebergs everywhere. Janice, you would love it. We had a brief sight of Heroina island in the Danger Islands, but ice on the beach prevented us from accessing it. Heading to Paulet Island, zigzagging between beautiful icebergs (thanks to the captain!), the sun decided to show up! Clear blue sky and a nice 6 degrees Celcius was with us for the next 6 hours. We walked in a landscape of fur seals, elephant seal, leopard seals, cormorants and a few Adelie penguins. The latter were numbered in the tens of thousands 17 days ago, but the breeding season is finished, so they’ve decided to head North, leaving less than 100 molting chicks behind. They should make it on time… It’s the highest abundance of life I’ve seen in my life and also the most impressive one. Being within a few metres of a fur seal is quite the experience! I made the first version today of a video for CO2now.org web site, which is aiming to bring awareness about atmospheric CO2 level and what we can do to make a difference. It will be put online on their web site at the end of the month. We finished our day with an amazing zodiac tours to take a closer look to the icebergs.
Tomorrow, it’s Deception Island! I’m sure it will be amazing even with this name…
Students L-A Shibish and Sandra Borton
Journal Entry by Marianne Mathis,
Université Laval, Québec
Passage entre la mer de Weddell et les îles South Sethland
J’ai les yeux brûlés par tant de beauté, et par le soleil incroyable qui se reflète sur le blanc antarctique.
Ce matin, Émilie, ma co-chambreuse, m’a réveillé en s’écriant: «Iceberg, un iceberg! Non, plein, plein d’icebergs, Marianne!» Puis, comme deux petites filles qui attendent leurs cadeaux de Noël, émerveillées, nous nous sommes étendues sur le lit en face du hublot, pour observer ces immenses blocs de glace que nous apercevions pour la première fois. La mer de Weddell n’allait pas nous décevoir: le spectacle commençait seulement. Des bleus foncés aux plus clairs, les icebergs et leur concentration en oxygène, qu’ils soient tabulaires (se détachant d’une plate-forme de glace) ou de formes non précises (détachés d’un glacier se jetant dans l’océan), nous ont offert un spectacle magistral.
Aujourd’hui, nous avons passé 4 heures sur terre, sur Paulet Island, qui est un volcan endormi. Nous avons traversé les colonies d’otaries, qui avaient remplacé celles des pingouins d’Adélie, parsemées d’oiseaux dont les ailes déployées peuvent atteindre jusqu’à 4 mètres, de manchots qui cohabitent sans problème et qui sont présentement en train de refaire leur duvet. Un heureux mélange d’animaux que nous n’avions jamais vu de nos yeux vus… tant d’odeurs, de sons et de détails à se remémorer!
Après cette marche sur les plages de roches volcaniques, nous avons entrepris de monter ce volcan. La vue devenait de plus en plus spectaculaire, au fur et à mesure que nous escaladions ce volcan. L’effort valait grandement la peine: une mer d’icebergs vêlés par l’immense plate-forme de glace se prélassant en face de nous: des petits moutons blancs dans une mer d’un bleu clair, jusqu’à l’infini. Ça, et le silence du vent perpétuel.
Entre 19 heures et 22 heures, nous avons eu droit à une panoplie de couleurs, de cieux plus beaux les uns que les autres… nous sommes restés sur la proue du navire, laissant refroidir le repas qui nous attendait, afin de percevoir chaque goutte de lumière qui rebondissait sur la surface des icebergs. C’est dans des moments comme celui-là que l’expression «ne pas avoir assez de mots» prend tout son sens.
Ce fut une de ces journées qui restent dans notre «pochette arrière» comme dit Geoff, le leader de notre expédition. Des journées qui remontent le moral quand les temps sont plus durs, des journées qui provoquent des rêvasseries et qui laissent des sourires suspendus dans l’air du temps.
J’ai les yeux brûlés, les joues rouges piquées vives, mais je suis heureuse. L’Antarctique commence seulement à se découvrir. Demain nous sourit déjà.
Students Emilie Hebert-Houle, Marianne Mathis and Dan Hammond
Journal Entry by Dan Hammond, London, ON / UWO
Antarctic Peninsula
Well, if I can check one thing off my list, it’s definitely “blowing my mind”. According to Geoff, today was a “back pocket day”; an experience that we can now put in our back pocket, something that we’ve experienced and will never forget.
We began the morning with an attempt to make our first zodiac landing on Heroina – one of the Danger Islands. The seas were rough and the inspector zodiac confirmed that the ice-blocked shore would make it impossible to land. The first cornerstone of SOI ideology – flexibility – came into play as we decided to head onto our next stop, Paulet Island; unreachable without crossing a true “Iceberg Alley”.
Surrounded by the largest tabular icebergs in Antarctica, I could not help but be humbled as I tried to take in this truly unique experience from the tip of the bow. These majestic tabular icebergs (some reaching a height of 50 metres above the sea – only 10-15% of their full size!) have broken off and ice shelf larger than France and arrived in these waters within the past two weeks. Some reflect the sun’s rays in a blinding white, others glow a clear blue and those that have been overturned show a honeycomb pattern bleached with green algae or other debris. When we stumbled upon an extremely rare blocky berg, glowing the clearest blue around, we decided to stop and observe its sheer beauty as our oceanographers performed a CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) test over the side of the boat. Penguins and seals became increasingly abundant as we reached Paulet Island.
We have Antarctica to thank for clearing the normally overcast skies surrounding this volcanic hunk of historical land as we approached; creating a perfect platform for a 5 ½ hour landing. Stepping foot, for the first time, on Antarctic “soil” (a combination of rock and guana), we were surrounded by the forces of nature at work: fur seals sunbathing, play-fighting and wailing to the sky; Adelie penguins hopping around and sliding down snow banks; sea birds constantly flying overhead, protecting their high altitude nesting areas. The sounds, the SMELLS (mostly penguin guano), the sights – all absolutely incredible – surrounded the remains of the stone refuge that once housed refugees of a Swedish expedition gone wrong.
Marianne Douglas & students took samples of the Island’s two crater lakes, which they are microscopically analyzing as we speak. We decided to split into two groups, one hiking the path of the Swedish explorers up the volcano; gaining an incredible perspective of the magnitude of our surroundings then sliding and tumbling down the side! The others explored the fields of icebergs, coming within touching distance of icebergs – even witnessing an overturning berg in motion!
Just as I thought I couldn’t be any more blessed to be alive in this incredible place, I made my way out to an empty bow only to witness the most amazing golden sunset over a field of icebergs with seals navigating their way around the boat and playing in the dead calm waters. Our ninja of a captain has faced an unbelievable navigational feat.
The real beauty of this program is that, while we are living some of the most jaw dropping experiences ever, we are learning detailed climate science and an incredible amount of history.
After having left the Weddell Sea, we are now heading East through the Antarctic Sound and down the Branston Straight. The Antarctic Peninsula on our port side, I can barely even contemplate the thought of tomorrow’s destination – Deception Island! This time, we may venture into the volcano with the entire ship!!!!
A Crabeater Seal relaxes in the sun
Journal Entry by Sandra Borton,
Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, B.C.
Paulet Island, Weddell Sea
Kia Ora from Antarctica! What a day we had! We woke up early to Geoff’s voice on the inter-com announcing that there were tabular icebergs surrounding the ship. We hopped out of bed to check them out, and didn’t stop until 11pm tonight! High winds and ice prevented us from landing as we had hoped this morning, but we were able to jump in the zodiacs this afternoon at Paulet Island. The beach was pink with penguin poop, but with very few penguins to be found! Instead, we were greeted by more fur seals then we could count! We also saw Weddell seals, elephant seals, cormorants, skuas, and a few chinstrap and Adelie penguins. After a good beach walk, we jumped into the zodiacs and went for a ride around the icebergs – SO COOL! Upon our return to the ship, we barely had time to change our clothes before we were out on deck enjoying the sunset in a sea of icebergs, as we navigated the Antarctic Sound. After dinner, I checked out the 505 photos that I took today – whew! Today was the perfect day in Antarctica. I can’t believe we are going to get up tomorrow and do it all over again!
A Leopard Seal lazes in the snow with some Snowy Sheathbills
Journal Entry by Florian Hofmann and Lukas Sundermann
Weddell Sea, Danger Islands and Paulet Island
Heute werden wir früher als sonst um kurz vor 7 geweckt: Eisberge in Sicht. Der ungeplante Abstecher in das Weddell-Meer Richtung Larsen-Eisschelf entpuppt sich als voller Erfolg. Die riesigen vorbeiziehenden Tafeleisberge beeindrucken so, dass wir kaum zum Essen kommen. Das Meer ist voll von Eisbergen und wir beide sind durchgehend an Deck, um sie zu filmen und zu fotografieren.
Bei superschönem Wetter erreichen wir Paulet Island inaktiven Vulkan. Hier stehen die Reste einer Notunterkunft, die einigen Männern der Nordenskiöld-Expedition als Winterquartier gedient hat. Zum ersten Mal landen wir mit den Zodiacs und wandern durch Pelzrobben und Adelié-Pinguinen zu einem Kratersee. Die Tierwelt ist beeindruckend und am Gipfel eröffnet sich ein Blick auf das Weddell-Meer mit tausenden von Eisbergen und dem eisbedeckten antarktischen Kontinent. Nach einem fünfstündigen Aufenthalt geht es mit den Zodiacs auf eine Fahrt zwischen spektakulären Eisbergen hindurch. Wir kommen diesen so nahe bis wir sie berühren können und uns einige Eiszapfen abbrechen können.
Wir fahren bei phänomenalem Abendlicht durch den Antarctic Sound in die Bransfield Strait mit Kurs auf Deception Island.
Fur Seal
A Chinstrap Penguin jumps out of the water
Student Dylan Polacek
Melting Iceberg
Students Phillip Eriksson and Miguel Ricardo
Student Sierra Pope snaps a photoof passing icebergs
