Port Charcot and Paradise Bay
We had a late night last night as we were out on deck watching a group of orcas as they hunted seals amongst the pack ice. It was really exciting to watch the killer whales as they chased a seal on to an ice floe. Once the seal was ‘safely’ on the ice the whales would team up and then tip the floe over and knock the seal back in to the water. Sadly, the seal did not stand a chance against the seven orcas, and it was with a heavy heart that we went back to bed.
This morning we were once again blessed with calm seas and plenty of sunshine. Our first landing was at Port Charcot on Booth Island. We walked across the snow; carefully avoiding the penguin trails - and made our way to a small peak where we were extremely fortunate to see a molting emperor penguin! He looked like a veritable giant compared to the gentoos that were nesting nearby. It was fabulous to get a close up look at another of these penguins, and we were marveling at our luck as this was our fifth emperor of the voyage. Although the ‘big penguin’ was the highlight of our visit, we enjoyed the beautiful views of the mountain peaks; their black rock and stark white snow a perfect contrast to the clear blue sky.
While some of us were ashore, the rest of us went out in the kayaks. It was a great morning for it as there was very little wind and plenty of icebergs for us to circumnavigate. It was magical to be in the kayaks and to paddle up to ice floes that were resting platforms for crabeater seals. A few of us were investigated by a curious leopard seal, and we were trying to decide who was more fascinated – us or the seal. It was a gorgeous morning and to make it even better, we transited the Lemaire Channel – again, but this time in glorious weather.
We had another mandatory nap but we didn’t have our heads on the pillow for too long before Trip made an announcement to tell us that there were several pods of orcas ahead of the ship. We spent a while watching the killer whales, and it was estimated that there were about 30 individuals in the vicinity.
In the afternoon, we went ashore at Almirante Brown in Paradise Bay. Most of us walked up the hill and admired the glorious view before sliding back down. We laughed as we awarded each other points for technique. It was a lot of fun, and on the way back to the ship, we cruised the coastline and saw some nesting Antarctic shags. It was another full and exciting day, and we are full of anticipation for what tomorrow will bring.
We had a late night last night as we were out on deck watching a group of orcas as they hunted seals amongst the pack ice. It was really exciting to watch the killer whales as they chased a seal on to an ice floe. Once the seal was ‘safely’ on the ice the whales would team up and then tip the floe over and knock the seal back in to the water. Sadly, the seal did not stand a chance against the seven orcas, and it was with a heavy heart that we went back to bed.
This morning we were once again blessed with calm seas and plenty of sunshine. Our first landing was at Port Charcot on Booth Island. We walked across the snow; carefully avoiding the penguin trails - and made our way to a small peak where we were extremely fortunate to see a molting emperor penguin! He looked like a veritable giant compared to the gentoos that were nesting nearby. It was fabulous to get a close up look at another of these penguins, and we were marveling at our luck as this was our fifth emperor of the voyage. Although the ‘big penguin’ was the highlight of our visit, we enjoyed the beautiful views of the mountain peaks; their black rock and stark white snow a perfect contrast to the clear blue sky.
While some of us were ashore, the rest of us went out in the kayaks. It was a great morning for it as there was very little wind and plenty of icebergs for us to circumnavigate. It was magical to be in the kayaks and to paddle up to ice floes that were resting platforms for crabeater seals. A few of us were investigated by a curious leopard seal, and we were trying to decide who was more fascinated – us or the seal. It was a gorgeous morning and to make it even better, we transited the Lemaire Channel – again, but this time in glorious weather.
We had another mandatory nap but we didn’t have our heads on the pillow for too long before Trip made an announcement to tell us that there were several pods of orcas ahead of the ship. We spent a while watching the killer whales, and it was estimated that there were about 30 individuals in the vicinity.
In the afternoon, we went ashore at Almirante Brown in Paradise Bay. Most of us walked up the hill and admired the glorious view before sliding back down. We laughed as we awarded each other points for technique. It was a lot of fun, and on the way back to the ship, we cruised the coastline and saw some nesting Antarctic shags. It was another full and exciting day, and we are full of anticipation for what tomorrow will bring.
