Andvord Bay and Paradise Bay
Our first full day in Antarctica brought an embarrassment of riches, starting with a spectacular encounter of a pod of Orca feasting on a freshly killed minke whale. It is an astonishingly rare event to witness, and we were privileged to watch the action for more than an hour, as the six ‘Killer Whales’ shunted the carcass of the dead minke along the surface, tearing off strips of rich blubber from the underside of the whale. They showed no nervousness about our presence, even coming closer to check us out – close enough, in fact, that several camera lenses were sprayed with whale breath when they blew near the side of the ship.
And all of this unfolded before breakfast. From there, we moved onto Danco Island to visit its gentoo penguin colony, hike to the top of the island, and then enjoy a Zodiac cruise amongst the floating ice. We saw crab-eater seals aplenty and a few Weddell seals as well. While we cruised and photographed the seals and backlit mountains, another of the ship’s Zodiacs went on ahead, taking soundings and discovering that it was possible to take the ship around the backside of the island – something no ship has done before; this was genuine exploration.
Next a stunning iceberg grabbed our attention in Andvord Bay. Old and weathered and towering above the ship, it resembled a ruined castle with intricate grottos along the waterline. The captain circled the berg, while the sun once again broke through the clouds, sparkling on the ice and casting the mountains in the background into sharp relief. We sailed on to Paradise Bay, where we set foot on the continent of Antarctica near the old Argentine base – now abandoned – called Almirante Brown. While some guests hiked up the hill behind the base to enjoy its breathtaking views of the bay and mountains, others took to the kayaks to get close to the icebergs and explore the little inlets in the bay. The shadows were growing long by the time we called it a day, and returned to the ship for warmth, drinks, dinner and the good company of our companions with whom to share the day’s grand adventures.
Our first full day in Antarctica brought an embarrassment of riches, starting with a spectacular encounter of a pod of Orca feasting on a freshly killed minke whale. It is an astonishingly rare event to witness, and we were privileged to watch the action for more than an hour, as the six ‘Killer Whales’ shunted the carcass of the dead minke along the surface, tearing off strips of rich blubber from the underside of the whale. They showed no nervousness about our presence, even coming closer to check us out – close enough, in fact, that several camera lenses were sprayed with whale breath when they blew near the side of the ship.
And all of this unfolded before breakfast. From there, we moved onto Danco Island to visit its gentoo penguin colony, hike to the top of the island, and then enjoy a Zodiac cruise amongst the floating ice. We saw crab-eater seals aplenty and a few Weddell seals as well. While we cruised and photographed the seals and backlit mountains, another of the ship’s Zodiacs went on ahead, taking soundings and discovering that it was possible to take the ship around the backside of the island – something no ship has done before; this was genuine exploration.
Next a stunning iceberg grabbed our attention in Andvord Bay. Old and weathered and towering above the ship, it resembled a ruined castle with intricate grottos along the waterline. The captain circled the berg, while the sun once again broke through the clouds, sparkling on the ice and casting the mountains in the background into sharp relief. We sailed on to Paradise Bay, where we set foot on the continent of Antarctica near the old Argentine base – now abandoned – called Almirante Brown. While some guests hiked up the hill behind the base to enjoy its breathtaking views of the bay and mountains, others took to the kayaks to get close to the icebergs and explore the little inlets in the bay. The shadows were growing long by the time we called it a day, and returned to the ship for warmth, drinks, dinner and the good company of our companions with whom to share the day’s grand adventures.
