This morning at 3:30 a.m., while most of us were nestled comfortably in our staterooms aboard the National Geographic Explorer, the telltale crackle of the ship’s PA system signaled that an announcement was forthcoming. And sure enough, expedition leader Lisa’s voice soon followed, beckoning us all to the bow to see a large group of killer whales that were swimming ahead. For an hour or so, we watched the animals as they swam close to the ship and occasionally spyhopped to get a better view above the waves. But then a pair of humpbacks appeared on the scene and the killer whales approached the nervous animals. The tension was palpable and the deck fell silent as we anticipated an attack; yet, it was not to be. These particular killer whales—type B2s—are well-known fish- and penguin-eaters and were uninterested in harassing the whales.
Eventually, the show ended and we returned to our cabins for a quick respite before rising again to watch as the ship entered the Lemaire Channel. This ice-laden, steep-walled channel is arguably one of the most scenic stretches of water along the Antarctic Peninsula, and those who rose to observe our passage were not disappointed. After an hour or so, the ship cruised out of the channel and anchored off the shore of Booth Island, an area renowned for its stranded, water-carved icebergs. While cruising among the labyrinthine iceberg graveyard, we found minke whales darting about in search of krill and leopard seals resting on ice flows between meals of hapless penguins. When we returned to the ship, the Caribbean-blue water fooled many of us into jumping in for a quick dip. The same water then had us scrambling back aboard just as quickly, flush-skinned and frozen, but in great spirits from our polar plunge.
In the afternoon, we continued south among the pack ice where we spotted more minke whales and leopard seals. Most abundant, however, were the crabeater seals that were strewn about on the drifting ice. Many of them raised their heads as we passed. No doubt, they were envious of the rare Shackleton whisky we were sipping on the aft deck as we toasted Ernest Shackleton himself after such an eventful day. And no doubt, it was a day like today that Shackleton longed for when he set out on his epic, yet ill-fated journey 100 years earlier.
