This morning we caught our first site of Antarctica. The first icebergs were spotted around 6a.m., and shortly afterwards the South Shetland Islands emerged. As we approached the islands we encountered humpbacks and fin whales, and the captain and his team masterfully maneuverered the ship so that we had an incredible view of fin whales feeding right off the bow. Pintado petrels dived down into the water to join them in feeding on krill just below the surface.
After lunch we prepared for our first landing in Antarctica, as the ship approached Half Moon Island. We had been treated to a beautifully calm Drake Passage, but Antarctica soon showed its real side as the wind picked up and snow began to fall. However, this didn’t deter our guests and it certainly did not ruin our enjoyment of our first excursion ashore. If anything, this made our walk across Half Moon Island, towards a chinstrap penguin colony, incredibly atmospheric, and certainly gave us an idea of the harsh conditions faced by the Argentinian sailors who man the station on the island for up to three months at a time.
As we made our way towards the penguin colony, with snow sometimes coming at us sideways, we saw a Weddell seal and an Antarctic fur seal resting on the shore, and skuas and kelp gulls glided past us. We could smell the colony of chinstrap penguins before we saw them, but the penguins were not alone. There were kelp gulls nesting, and chicks sheltering from the wind, and even Antarctic terns nesting not far from the colony. The gorgeous chinstrap penguins waddling up and down the hill kept us entertained for a long time before we finally made our way back to the landing, via the Argentinian station.
Members of the Argentinian navy who man the station kindly offered us a hot drink and some snacks, as well as shelter from the elements, while they explained a little bit about their lives on the island. The spartan station was not luxurious and they endure three month contracts with only monthly deliveries of supplies. We returned to the National Geographic Explorer with a renewed sense of gratitude for the warmth and comfort with which we are experiencing this beautiful, but wild and hostile continent.
