Happy New Year, so went the cheers at midnight when all of us met in the ship’s lounge to kick off the new year with a toast. The tradition on board the National Geographic Explorer is to have the youngest and oldest guests on board say goodbye to the old year, and bring in the new. Afterwards, merriment flowed freely as ships guests and crew alike wish each other the best of the next year to come. After a while, the crowd thinned and we settled into our rooms with expectations of our first day in Antarctica.
Our morning wake-up call was made with a certain urgency as we were in the company of finback whales. A bracing Antarctic wind greeted us as we mustered out onto the forward deck. As we looked out onto the ocean, spouts began to spring up from the surface. Then, the whales showed their sleek smooth backs and the prominent dorsal fin from which they get their common name. We watched for a while, and as the cold started to drive some back into the warmth of the inside of the ship, a whale erupted to the surface right in front of our bow. Cold or not, everyone hurried back onto the bow where we were treated to incredibly close views of these great mammals of the sea. They began to lunge at the surface and we surmised that they were enjoying the rich bounty of the Antarctic seas.
The finbacks were just the beginning of our whale encounters today. Soon after breakfast the call of “humpback spotted just ahead” came over the loud speakers. Three humpbacks where just ahead of us, at the surface most of the time, they were perfect for viewing up close. As our ship wallowed in the cold waters, the humpbacks rolled at our bow. Many times, they would submerge just enough to pass under our bow, only to surface right next to us again, on the other side of our ship. We stayed with them as long as we could, then we continued on our journey, heading for English Straights.
At English Straights we had our first view of the spectacular Antarctic scenery. Massive glaciers meet the sea, and towering mountains rise up above us. Until you see the white continent, it is difficult to explain the excitement one feels when you first enter the Antarctic habitat. It will suffice to say, we were in awe.
At this point it was hard to believe we had only been here one morning. We had only experienced one half of the day before us. Now it was time for the iconic species of Antarctica, penguins. We anchored at Half Moon Island and then our first excursion ashore. Some us chose to go on an extended hike the distance of about four miles through soft snow—they will sleep well tonight. The rest of us simply chose to spend all of the time with a chinstrap penguin colony where we were delighted with young chicks and squeaking adults. Although their antics had meaning to them, to us they were just adorable and wonderful to watch.
Finally to end the day the captain sailed into a sunken caldera at Deception Island. We entered it through a narrow passage called Neptune’s Bellows, no doubt a reflection of the calderas ticking clock until its next eruption.
This day, the first of the new year, was more than any of us expected. An incredible introduction to Antarctica, a day we will remember for a long time to come.
