Monday, February 23
Morning update posted by SOI Wold HQ
This morning the team had one task – get out on deck for whale watching! Good karma is following the team, as they awoke to a pod of Humpbacks. The ship captain navigated the vessel at a safe range and followed the whales so the team could observe their behaviour and take photographs which may assist whale researchers in identifying the pod members.
After breakfast, the ship sailed on to observe Skontorp Cove Glacier in Paradise Bay. It is another blissful morning - the sun is out, the waters flat and calm – beautiful reflections. Glaciers are cascading down mountains from every direction! There is a large quantity of ice in the water and there are more Humpback Whale’s in front of ship.
The students have split up into their different course groups before the lunch bell rings. Afternoon activities will include a group hike to the top of Danco Island. A perfect location for group photos, as this is their last landing of the expedition! This evening, the ship heads north for the Drake Passage – homeward bound!
Evening update posted by Geoff Green, Expedition Leader
Our final day was a wonderful way to conclude our visit to Antarctica. Upon reaching the top of Danco Island, our expedition photographer, Lee Narraway, shot a number of group photographs. It couldn’t have been a better way to wrap up before heading home. Surrounded by ice, glaciers and whales, we sailed toward the Drake Passage.
New Video!
Students on Ice Antarctic University Expedition 2009 - Icebergs
Grise Fiord, Nunavut Students hold up the Nunavut flag with Dylan Polacek
Journal Entry by Dan Hammond, London, ON / UWO
Our last day in Antarctica just came out of nowhere! This day of whale watching, hiking, and learning sealed the deal on our Antarctic exploration.
I woke up and emerged out of my dim cabin into the magical surroundings of Paradise Bay! The sight was really indescribable (but I’ll give it a shot): A mother Humpback whale nurturing her calve in the calm deep blue water that mirrored the glacier ridden mountain peaks that surrounding us, reflecting the scattered rays of the beautiful sun peeking through the clouds. Paradise Bay did not fall short of its name. The M.V. Ushuaia changed course, heading for Danco Island, giving us a chance to facilitate some course discussions.
After a detailed lecture on Antarctic ice shelves, we arrived at Danco Island for our final landing in Antarctica! It was also my last zodiac ride with Scobie (our British elder who tells the BEST tales around) and my last chance to walk amongst hundreds of nesting Gentoo penguins. Our entire group hiked to the summit of the glacier covered island where we took some ice samples, took some time to soak in our last direct Antarctic interaction, and snapped some group photos. We tumbled and slid down the side of the glacier, said goodbye to the penguins and hopped in the zodiacs.
We’re now sailing directly into the Drake’s Passage, bracing ourselves for the days to come. The education program is changing gears as we all reflect on the diverse experiences we’ve experienced throughout our action packed Antarctic schedule. The flow has been and continues to be in a variety of amazing directions; opening my eyes to a whole new world and providing a brand new vantage point to analyze our society.
The MV Ushuaia
Journal Entry by Sandra Borton, Thompsons River University, Kamloops, BC
Our last day in Antarctica – already! I think it will take a while to process all of the things we have seen and all that we have experienced. There are a lot of layers to a trip like this, many of which I won’t realize until long after I arrive home. I am looking forward to some time to reflect on this experience from educational, environmental, tourism and personal perspectives.
Our first landing in Antarctica was on a “bluebird” day and as the trip progressed we saw all types of weather…. As we climbed Danco Island on our final landing today, it was cold and blustery, even snowing as the ship pulled out of her anchorage. The Drake Passage awaits us, and then we are onto our final days together as a group in Ushuaia. We were treated to a spectacular visit to a very special corner of our planet and as we slowly return to reality (and technology), I look forward to sharing photographs, stories and important ‘take-aways’ with my family, friends and communities, in expedition spirit.
Team photo on Danco Island
Journal Entry by Maéva Gauthier, Mt-Tremblant, QC, University of Victoria
Paradise Bay and Danko Island
Un merveilleux dernier jour en Antarctique. À peine réveillés, nous étions à Paradise Bay où nous avons pu admirer un glacier et le soleil qui se montraient le bout du nez. Les baleines étaient aussi au rendez-vous. Nous sommes ensuite partis vers Danko Island pour marcher jusqu’au sommet donnant sur une vue 360 degrés sur les îles environnantes et le continent de l’Antarctique. C’était magnifique! Session de photos de groupe, puis une minute de silence pour réfléchir à cette expédition, sur nos derniers moments en Antarctique pour la plupart. On est maintenant en direction du Drake passage et j’ai déjà pris une gravol en préparation... La douche est prise et la cabine est un peu plus rangée pour éviter les objets volants. Drake lake ou Drake shake cette fois-ci? Il se peut qu’on ait une petite soirée «disco» organisée par Marianne etÉmilie. Vaut mieux que ce soit avant que ça brasse trop.
A wonderful last day in Antarctica. We were barely awake and already Paradise Bay was in front of our eyes with the glaciers, the sunshine and some whales. We went to Danko Island to hike to the top to have a 360 view on the islands and the continent. It was very beautiful. Numinous. We had group photos, then one minute of silence to think about this expedition and our last moments in Antarctica for most of the people in the group. We are now heading back to the Drake Passage and I took a Gravol in preparation for it .The cabin is Drake proof and shower is taken to avoid it during the crossing. Drake lake or Drake shake? We may have a disco tonight organized by Marianne and Emilie. Hopefully before it’s too rock’n’roll!
Students have fun in the snow
Journal Entry by Dylan Polacek, Boca Raton, Fl / Boca Raton High School
Leaving Danco Island
Our final zodiac made me a little depressed, but at the same time it was an exhausting and memorable trip. Also, our high-paced encounters in the morning made for an exciting day. We woke up near Paradise Bay in the hopes of finding whales. Our luck was just as good as the previous days, and we found Minkes and Humpbacks. After trolling through the bay, I brought my camera with me to the bow just as a Humpback whale and her calf emerged on the starboard side. They had come to the surface and a huge portion of their bodies was visible. The most amazing part was to see the whales’ fluke right before they dove down into deeper water.
After lunch, we prepared for our final Antarctic landing, this time on Danco Island. Once on the shore, we all got ready for a hike up a mountain covered in a snow cap. I stayed up in front of the group, and at times, the snow was knee deep. This made the hike extremely tiring. But the feeling I got when I reached the top, after being exhausted, sweaty and cold, actually left me happy, relieved and accomplished. It made me realize how unbelievable it was to be at the bottom of the earth.
Once everyone reached the top, we all messed around and a couple of us were buried up to our heads in snow. We then took a bunch of group pictures and began to head back down. Getting down was actually one of the craziest parts of the landing. I grabbed one of the snow shovels used for glaciology and slid down all the way. As we got closer to the bottom, the ground began to get rockier and the snow looked more and more like penguin guano. The sledding was still fun because of how fast I was going and how high I was jumping. When we got to the gangway of the ship, I washed off all the dirty snow from my jacket and hung it up outside my cabin. After an hour of just lying around, we are now headed to a climatology lecture by Dr. Copland. Tonight, we enter the Drake Passage! More rough seas, and if I’m lucky, nausea too!
-Dylan Polacek
Leopard Seal
Journal Entry by Jodie King, Nippissing University
Drake Passage
Today was our last full day in Antarctica. We started the day out by attempting to find some whales. We were successful in finding a few Humpback and Minke whales, but sadly, no orcas. They didn’t stay for very long, so we didn’t bother getting out in the zodiacs to check them out. We found our way deep into Paradise Bay. The sun came out just as we pulled up to the corner of the last cove, and it made for some amazing scenery. This is probably the nicest spot we have seen on the whole trip. The sun, snow, mountains and icebergs made everything absolutely perfect for our last morning here. The mountains were reflecting in the water, and we all just stood staring at the beauty for several hours.
We continued our day at Danco Island, where we did a big hike up to the summit of the glacier. It was tough, but we made it up for one last amazing look at this incredible continent. We took some group photos and had our moment of silence to soak in our whole trip, and remember the amazing journey we have made over the past 12 days. This place is so unreal, and to just sit there in the silence with our entire group was a really moving experience. It was our last landing here in Antarctica, and for many of us, the last time we will ever visit this magical place. I’m sure we will all miss the wonderment we feel when surrounded by this landscape, but at the same time, I know that everyone, like me, is in some way longing for home. I will absolutely never forget all of the incredible memories that have been created over the past two weeks. I have also made friendships that will last a lifetime, and may even lead to more opportunities like this one in the future.
It is time to start the journey back to Ushuaia, and then eventually back to Canada. That means that we will shortly be hitting the Drake Passage, and therefore I will most likely not be writing any journals during that time due to seasickness! Everyone cross our fingers that we get a Drake lake on the way back! One shake was enough for me!
Students bury themselves in snow
Journal Entry by Andrew Budnick, Wayland, Massachusetts
In the midst of the fog
So here I am, at the end of our last full day in Antarctica. I have many stories to tell; I’ve learned many things. But now we’re leaving Antarctica, and I’ll probably never set foot here for at least several years. By all rights, I should be sad that the adventure is over.
But the best adventures never end. After all, we still have two days of the Drake Shake ahead of us, and the winds are picking up. I’m looking forward to our next adventure.
Human pyramid on Danco Island
Journal Entry by Sierra Pope, University of Ottawa
Paradise Bay, Danco Island
Today was beautiful. We started the day in Paradise (Bay), following several Minke whales before breakfast is always a good start! We sailed through such a beautiful cove mid-morning, and the sun came out just as we passed by…the water was so calm; it was a perfect mirror for the small icebergs and black mountains around us. It was such a quiet way to start the day; there was no one on the deck starboard side of the bridge, so I spent just a few minutes breathing and seeing and listening to the water and the ship. I felt a similar quiet yesterday as we swirled around the icebergs near Vernadsky Station. One giant arched iceberg took my breath away; blue and towering, in an arc over the water. We could see one of the other zodiacs through the arch; such an amazing sight; one of the best of the trip for me, thus far. The afternoon today was spent at Danco Island, our last landing on the Antarctic continent. I hiked to the top of a windy hill and looked down over the water and ice, with two clear moraines in the water in front of the marine-terminating glaciers across the channel from us, the ship in the distance, small and toy-like, and Gentoo penguins in the foreground, a mother protecting her huddling chick from the cold wind. Breathtaking. Tonight we sailed away from the Antarctic Peninsula, Humpback whales to the starboard side and Minkes to the portside, as if to send us off in grand Antarctic fashion…one of them even lifted his flipper in a wave, I kid you not. As we sailed on, it started to snow, so thick we couldn’t see out the windows. This place is both calm and ferocious, and within the span of one of our exhausting, fantastic days, we can see both extremes. Our next few days will be on the rolling, heaving Drake, then back to Ushuaia, and back up through the hemispheres towards home. I miss everyone, and I have so much to show you! I have nearly a thousand photos, mostly icebergs and penguins…I hope they can convey what it is to see these things. What it feels like to breath in this air. The blues I have seen; I love these colours! I have never seen so much in so few days. I’m exhausted, and still have several days of lectures, course readings, writing the daily ship update, and probably seasickness…but it’s a remarkable thing, to be here. I’m so grateful and so happy.
Student Marianne Mathis with some ice
Journal Entry by Marianne Mathis, Université Laval
Dans les eaux calmes
Ce journal est aujourd’hui (spécialement) dédié aux géographes de l’Université Laval!
Dernière journée pieds à terre en Antarctique. Après une matinée passée à observer les baleines dans Paradise Bay, en face d’un mur de glace, nous avons eu un cours de glaciologie portant principalement sur les plates-formes de glace (plusieurs se sont détachées dans les dernières années, créant d’immenses icebergs tabulaires, notamment Larsen A et B) et les icebergs. Cet après-midi, nous sommes monté sur un glacier: la couche de neige qui n’avait pas encore fondu nous a permis de faire cette montée qui aurait été, autrement, trop glissante. La vue de laquelle nous avons pu profiter, rendus au sommet, relevait de la féerie, ou plutôt, des récits d’explorateurs qui ont connu les rigueurs de ce dernier continent, au début des années 1900. Les falaises brunes s’élevaient toujours plus haut, et les nuages qui se dispersaient par moment laissaient entrevoir des capuchons de glace toujours plus hauts. Difficile d’estimer la hauteur de ces calottes de glace. Des glaciers se déversaient dans l’océan, et le plus impressionnant était sans doute les trois glaciers parallèles, qui ressemblaient à un immense amas de neige, de glace, de différents amalgames de couleur, qui se propulsaient en séracs, à la fin de leur course. La descente fut beaucoup plus rapide, puisque quelques-uns d’entre nous ont entrepris de descendre le glacier en glissant! Nous étions bons pour de grands fous rires et des pantalons mouillés pour le restant de l’expédition, après avoir dévalé cette neige peinte en rouge, à cause des algues transportées par le vent. La nostalgie de quitter ces endroits aux allures magiques s’est manifestée dès notre arrivée dans le bas du glacier… nous avons alors fait nos adieux aux pingouins Gentoo, tout en rembarquant dans notre zodiak.
Les deux prochains jours seront dédiés à des cours et à des conférences, tout au long de ce long passage d’eau qu’est le Drake. Si le retour ressemble à l’aller, nous savons déjà à quoi nous attendre, dont des cours où il faut s’agripper à son banc pour rester en place!
La photo jointe en est une prise sur le vif, de moi observant un iceberg de cristal, échoué sur la plage. Lorsqu’ils se promènent dans l’eau, ces icebergs paraissent noirs, parce que la couleur de l’eau s’y reflète. J’échappais à l’instant même un morceau de cet iceberg, lorsque la photo fut prise (c’est visible, avec mon air de surprise ;)).
Humpback Whale fluke
Journal Entry by Kevin Turner, Kitchener, ON / Wilfrid Laurier University
Antarctic Peninsula
The last few days have been incredible. So much going on. A favorite part of this trip was being at Neko Harbour (two days ago), surrounded by penguins while listening to the thunderous rumbles of calving glaciers across the bay. Yesterday involved getting up around 5 am to join the glacier-coring expedition, which involved a zodiac ride and hiking up a land-based dome glacier. There was a great vibe in the air as the group worked efficiently to obtain the cores, analyze the snow density, set up a differential GPS system and survey the summit. A survey stake was also installed, which will be monitored annually to determine glacial movements.
Next on the agenda was visiting the Alurian Islands, which was not only home to penguins and seals, but also some very vibrant lichen and moss. Zodiac cruises amongst the amazing icebergs in this area followed. A leopard seal wallowed in the wash bubbles of our motor for at least 20 minutes, showing off the sleekness of its 10’ long body as it slipped in and out of the water on all sides of the zodiac. Once back in the big boat, we made our way to the Ukrainian run Vernadsky Science Base Station, where they not only take part in very important research such as monitoring the ozone layer, but they also brew their own pepper vodka. Great bunch of guys that are always happy to entertain visitors.
This morning I woke up, went out on the deck and straight into Paradise. Paradise Bay has that name for a reason. The calm conditions, coupled with the subtle light complimented the rugged surrounding terrain with perfect reflections, which were interlaced with chunks of floating ice. Humpback whales hung out with us for a long while as we drifted along slowly. After climbing the hill on Danko Island along side some Gentoo penguins, we just did our best to take it all in. After some group photos, we had a moment of silence and I realized what it is like to be a young penguin on a day like today. Our backs were to the (stong) wind as we stared across the landscape, thinking about leaving this land for possibly the last time. It has been an amazing experience that words truly can’t describe.
German students
Journal Entry by Florian Hofmann and Lukas Sundermann
Danco Island
An unserem letzten Tag auf dem Kontinent der Extreme sind wir am Vormittag einigen Walen begegnet. In der Paradise Bay fanden wir eine perfekte Szenerie vor und konnten Buckelwale mit ihren Kälbern aus nächster Nähe beobachten. Die letzte Landung dieser Reise ging nach Danco Island. Diese kleine Insel ist die Heimat einer Gentoo-Kolonie. Wir sind auf den Gipfel gewandert wo einige brütende Pinguine ihre Nester haben. Hier gab es ein finales Gruppenfoto und einen sehr lustigen Abstieg über die steile und rutschige Flanke der Insel. Schweren Herzens haben nun den antarktischen Kontinent hinter uns gelassen und befinden uns auf dem Weg in die Drake Passage in Richtung Südamerika. Mir grauts!
A close-up view of lichen
Journal Entry by Mireille Deschamps, University of Ottawa
Paradise Bay
Un petit coup d’oeil du paradis
Ce matin l’Antarctique m’a montré un coin exceptionnel de son contient. Lorsque j’imaginais ce voyage au bout du monde, dans ma tête se créa un monde de glace et de montagne à me couper le souffle. C’est cela que j’ai vu ce matin et pour un moment je me suis laissé envahie par la beauté de la nature qui m’entourait. Je me trouvais dans Paradise Bay où nous avons approché une petite côte entouré de montagne et de glaciers immenses. L’eau était si calme et claire que le paysage mirroitait dans l’eau au moment où le soleil sorti pour la seul fois aujourd’hui. Cette vue était incroyable et je ne pouvais pas en croire mes yeux! Il faut dire que ce matin a été un façon extraordinaire de débuté ma dernière journée en Antarctique. Par contre, si j’avais la chance de me rendre à une de ces montagnes avant de quitter ce serait fantastique puisque j’aimerais comparer leur grandeur avec la miène. Les paysages ici sont tellement immense qu’il est difficile de vraiment comprendre leur grandeur. Bien, je peux sens doute dire que j’aurais pu rester ici toute la journée à regarder ce magnifique petit paradis mirroité dans l’eau.
A glimpse of paradise
This morning gave the most beautiful glimpse of the Antarctic continent that I was able to see. When I pictured this continent before, these were the views I imagined, and I just lost myself for a while. We pulled up in Paradise Bay where we found a little cove surrounded by massive glaciers and mountains. The water was so clear that it acted as a mirror, reflecting the landscape around us as the sun came out. I could not believe the breathtaking beauty of this place. It was just a beautiful way to start our last day in Antarctica. However, I really would have liked to get to one of those mountains to see how small I would look beside them. The landscapes here are so massive that it is really hard to grasp the scale of mountains and glaciers and icebergs. Well, needless to say, I could have stayed there all day to soak in the view.
Humpback Whales
Students pose on top of Danco Island
Paradise Bay
Students and Staff on Danco Island
Wake from the ship
Humpback Whale fluke
Student Meaghan Cox does a handstand
Student Maéva Gauthier
Gentoo Penguins
Gentoo Penguin nest overlooking the MV Ushuaia
Zodiac in Paradise Bay
Students and staff walk up a snowy slope
Glacier wall