This morning we all woke up with the gentle movements of the ocean and the kind voice of our expedition leader Doug Gould on the PA, explaining we were making great progress and that the weather outside was superb. We all got out of bed with excitement of what was laying ahead today…the South Shetlands as a potential first landing.

Some of us got dressed warmly and had a walk around the outer decks. Wandering albatross and beautiful cape petrels were keeping us company. Even the first icebergs were sighted and that made all of us aware that we were indeed getting very close to this magic place called Antarctica.

Breakfast was served in the dining room and most of us enjoyed chatting and getting to know fellow travelers.

Right after breakfast we were all invited into the lounge for a Mandatory IAATO briefing, a very important briefing outlining the importance of protecting Antarctica and its wildlife, and how we can do that best during our voyage. This was followed by biosecurity decontamination, as we certainly don’t want to bring anything from outside to the icy and unique continent. All our gear was thoroughly checked and vacuumed.

At 1100 our undersea specialist Erin McFadden invited us back into the lounge for her presentation: “An Introduction to the Southern Ocean”. In her presentation she shared some if the unique aspects of the Southern ocean’s ecology and geologic history.

Just before a sumptuous lunch was served in the dining room, our expedition leader Doug announced that we had the South Shetlands in sight and all should grab the opportunity to go outside and get the first glimpses of Antarctica. The sun was shining brightly—what a welcome to this unique part of the world and what a great start to our voyage.

After lunch we all geared up for our first expedition, landing on Aitcho Island. Gentoo and chinstrap penguins welcomed us. The beach was full of chicks chasing the adults for food and comfort, which was great to watch. Skuas and giant petrels were flying and hovering above the colony. There was so much wildlife action to take in—what a great introduction to Antarctica.  After three hours ashore, all of us got a little cold and chose to go back to the comfort of the ship.

At 1800 the Captain invited us into the lounge for his welcome cocktail party during which he introduced his whole team. It was nice to see some of the faces that are working very hard behind the scenes to make this voyage a memorable one. This was followed by the Captain’s welcome dinner.

After dinner we had a chance to watch the beautiful scenery around Deception Island before we were all ready to fall into a deep sleep.