Lemaire Channel & Pleaneau Island
This was a day of superlatives appropriately beginning in Paradise Bay surrounded by majestic ice castles glittering in the morning sun.
During lunch Tom Ritchie announced the ship’s approach to the Lemaire Channel cradled in Una’s majestic bosom. As we passed the narrows we looked upward at the glacier covered vertical walls anticipating that our squeeze through might be heralded by a cascade of glacial showers. Safely passed we stopped the ship at Pleneau Island, in the sparkling waters of a magic sun calmed basin of blue icebergs.
The afternoon of calm reflecting waters, seen from the vantage points of the high ground of Pleneau Island or the water level perspective of a kayak’s deck, will not soon be forgotten. Gentoos and a scattering of Adélies murmured their approval of the gentle meteorology. A large flock of Blue Eyed Shags herded a school of fish made visible to them by the calm surface waters.
The protected waters were filled with sea-sculpted icebergs and ice floes of what was once the land-anchored fast ice formed when the sea water froze during the last winter. That is where we were able to get a good look at all three species of Antarctic ice seals lying out and basking in the warmth of this exceptional day. Large Weddell seals were seen closest to the shore, many lying on ice still attached to the rocky coast. Several Leopard seals lay quietly on the smaller ice pans. One younger animal was caught on film by Tove as it deftly popped out onto the ice from a narrow lead between two ice floes. A number of Crabeaters lay side by side warming in the sun and scratching contentedly as the finished their annual molt.
Reluctantly the kayaks returned, the Zodiacs were pulled aboard the familiar sounds of the engines were again heard as we resumed our journey south in the Endeavour. This day is one which is firmly imprinted and filled away for future enjoyment .
This was a day of superlatives appropriately beginning in Paradise Bay surrounded by majestic ice castles glittering in the morning sun.
During lunch Tom Ritchie announced the ship’s approach to the Lemaire Channel cradled in Una’s majestic bosom. As we passed the narrows we looked upward at the glacier covered vertical walls anticipating that our squeeze through might be heralded by a cascade of glacial showers. Safely passed we stopped the ship at Pleneau Island, in the sparkling waters of a magic sun calmed basin of blue icebergs.
The afternoon of calm reflecting waters, seen from the vantage points of the high ground of Pleneau Island or the water level perspective of a kayak’s deck, will not soon be forgotten. Gentoos and a scattering of Adélies murmured their approval of the gentle meteorology. A large flock of Blue Eyed Shags herded a school of fish made visible to them by the calm surface waters.
The protected waters were filled with sea-sculpted icebergs and ice floes of what was once the land-anchored fast ice formed when the sea water froze during the last winter. That is where we were able to get a good look at all three species of Antarctic ice seals lying out and basking in the warmth of this exceptional day. Large Weddell seals were seen closest to the shore, many lying on ice still attached to the rocky coast. Several Leopard seals lay quietly on the smaller ice pans. One younger animal was caught on film by Tove as it deftly popped out onto the ice from a narrow lead between two ice floes. A number of Crabeaters lay side by side warming in the sun and scratching contentedly as the finished their annual molt.
Reluctantly the kayaks returned, the Zodiacs were pulled aboard the familiar sounds of the engines were again heard as we resumed our journey south in the Endeavour. This day is one which is firmly imprinted and filled away for future enjoyment .
