Petermann Island and the Magic Number
Days that invoke awe and inspire deep thought are not uncommon in Antarctica. How could it not be, with breathtaking views, engaging wildlife, and an incredible sense of history. But there are days which come across as extraordinary.
This morning at 6am our expedition leader, Matt Drennan, awakened us ever so gently, just before we entered the Lemaire Channel. This narrow channel between the Antarctic continent and Booth Island has incredible scenery. The passage is lined with tall mountains, covered in glaciers and fresh powder. The geology here has been carved by centuries of glacier recession, leaving the most dramatic pointed peaks, and falling valleys.
Shortly after breakfast, we arrived at Petermann Island, just below the channel. It was here that we had our first taste of kayaking. What an incredible experience! Paddling around the island we were able to take in the scenery: the gentoos lining the rocks, their chicks chasing after them hoping for a meal, the blue-eyed shags and their chicks, and even penguins porpoising through the water alongside the kayaks. For those who chose to explore ashore, there was a research hut there, formerly owned by the British, and now used by the Ukranians from Vernadsky station, about four miles away.
As our guests enjoyed investigating the island and the surrounding water, the expedition staff launched a Zodiac with one specific purpose: to find some marine mammals that were sighted earlier and bring the images back to the ship. In the Zodiac we were armed with one Video Chronicler, to document what was above the surface, and a splash cam (an underwater camera mounted on a six-foot pole) for what was below the surface. We traveled some distance from the ship, keeping all eyes peeled for any sign of life breaking the surface. When the call went out, “There’s one!” we were on the move. What we had found were three minke whales, the smallest of the baleen whales. At first this group was quite shy, staying clear of the Zodiac, but shortly they became accustomed to us, and started to follow and play in our wake, travelling along next to us, as if our escorts. They would roll over on their backs showing us their bellies covered in golden-brown diatoms. They swam under the Zodiac to and fro, their tails barely leaving room between themselves and the Zodiac. There was even one spy hopping at the surface. The animals we had come upon, all male (while rolling we got some very close views of the genital slits), were about 25 feet long, (using the Zodiac for scale). This whale is still hunted both in the Antarctic and Arctic, for the commercial market, especially popular in Norway and Japan.
We left Petermann Island in the late morning, everyone on a high from the morning experience. The idea for the rest of the day was to head SOUTH, to reach that magic number of 66.33 degrees latitude. At 9 o’clock the horn blared and a cheer went out on the ship. What an end to a wondrous day!!
Days that invoke awe and inspire deep thought are not uncommon in Antarctica. How could it not be, with breathtaking views, engaging wildlife, and an incredible sense of history. But there are days which come across as extraordinary.
This morning at 6am our expedition leader, Matt Drennan, awakened us ever so gently, just before we entered the Lemaire Channel. This narrow channel between the Antarctic continent and Booth Island has incredible scenery. The passage is lined with tall mountains, covered in glaciers and fresh powder. The geology here has been carved by centuries of glacier recession, leaving the most dramatic pointed peaks, and falling valleys.
Shortly after breakfast, we arrived at Petermann Island, just below the channel. It was here that we had our first taste of kayaking. What an incredible experience! Paddling around the island we were able to take in the scenery: the gentoos lining the rocks, their chicks chasing after them hoping for a meal, the blue-eyed shags and their chicks, and even penguins porpoising through the water alongside the kayaks. For those who chose to explore ashore, there was a research hut there, formerly owned by the British, and now used by the Ukranians from Vernadsky station, about four miles away.
As our guests enjoyed investigating the island and the surrounding water, the expedition staff launched a Zodiac with one specific purpose: to find some marine mammals that were sighted earlier and bring the images back to the ship. In the Zodiac we were armed with one Video Chronicler, to document what was above the surface, and a splash cam (an underwater camera mounted on a six-foot pole) for what was below the surface. We traveled some distance from the ship, keeping all eyes peeled for any sign of life breaking the surface. When the call went out, “There’s one!” we were on the move. What we had found were three minke whales, the smallest of the baleen whales. At first this group was quite shy, staying clear of the Zodiac, but shortly they became accustomed to us, and started to follow and play in our wake, travelling along next to us, as if our escorts. They would roll over on their backs showing us their bellies covered in golden-brown diatoms. They swam under the Zodiac to and fro, their tails barely leaving room between themselves and the Zodiac. There was even one spy hopping at the surface. The animals we had come upon, all male (while rolling we got some very close views of the genital slits), were about 25 feet long, (using the Zodiac for scale). This whale is still hunted both in the Antarctic and Arctic, for the commercial market, especially popular in Norway and Japan.
We left Petermann Island in the late morning, everyone on a high from the morning experience. The idea for the rest of the day was to head SOUTH, to reach that magic number of 66.33 degrees latitude. At 9 o’clock the horn blared and a cheer went out on the ship. What an end to a wondrous day!!
