Weddell Sea - Devil Island & Brown Bluff
There is something addictive about Antarctica. You only have to look at the number of staff who return year after year, and sign up for the next season's contract, before they have even finished this one. Or the number of guests who have been here before, yet return time and time again. This morning clearly showed why we keep coming back, and why the Antarctic 'virgins' will become addicted; we awoke to be surrounded by icebergs - huge tabular icebergs the size of buildings, icebergs longer and taller than our ship and icebergs beyond what we could capture on our cameras. However, we did try and do them justice, taking rolls and rolls, and gig's and gig's of photos. We were meandering our way through the ice of Antarctic Sound, towards Devil Island - so named for it's two peaks, which stick up like the famed horns on a devils head.
Once at Devil Island we Zodiac cruised and entered the 'iceberg graveyard' - a shallow area where icebergs had become stranded. There we found leopard, Weddell, crabeater and fur seals hauled out on ice - they too had caught onto our ice-theme. Ashore at Devil Island we had the opportunity to sit and watch the Adélie penguins, or climb to the top of the peaks and look down on the National Geographic Endeavour, which the Captain had moored by placing her bow against an iceberg. To enhance our visit to this area we were also able to go kayaking amongst even more icebergs - and there was something enchanting about being able to silently maneuver in this ice paradise. Overall we saw thousands of icebergs today, yet not one was remotely like another, and all were stunningly beautiful.
Our afternoon outing was a taste of true Antarctica - in it's raw, blustery and snowy form. It was exciting to be ashore at Brown Bluff, walking with the penguins and watching the fur seals dancing in the nearshore waters. We were witness to the beach being transformed from black cobbles to a snow-frosted wonderland. It's great to be here in Antarctica, and I can't wait to come back next season - I have already signed up.
There is something addictive about Antarctica. You only have to look at the number of staff who return year after year, and sign up for the next season's contract, before they have even finished this one. Or the number of guests who have been here before, yet return time and time again. This morning clearly showed why we keep coming back, and why the Antarctic 'virgins' will become addicted; we awoke to be surrounded by icebergs - huge tabular icebergs the size of buildings, icebergs longer and taller than our ship and icebergs beyond what we could capture on our cameras. However, we did try and do them justice, taking rolls and rolls, and gig's and gig's of photos. We were meandering our way through the ice of Antarctic Sound, towards Devil Island - so named for it's two peaks, which stick up like the famed horns on a devils head.
Once at Devil Island we Zodiac cruised and entered the 'iceberg graveyard' - a shallow area where icebergs had become stranded. There we found leopard, Weddell, crabeater and fur seals hauled out on ice - they too had caught onto our ice-theme. Ashore at Devil Island we had the opportunity to sit and watch the Adélie penguins, or climb to the top of the peaks and look down on the National Geographic Endeavour, which the Captain had moored by placing her bow against an iceberg. To enhance our visit to this area we were also able to go kayaking amongst even more icebergs - and there was something enchanting about being able to silently maneuver in this ice paradise. Overall we saw thousands of icebergs today, yet not one was remotely like another, and all were stunningly beautiful.
Our afternoon outing was a taste of true Antarctica - in it's raw, blustery and snowy form. It was exciting to be ashore at Brown Bluff, walking with the penguins and watching the fur seals dancing in the nearshore waters. We were witness to the beach being transformed from black cobbles to a snow-frosted wonderland. It's great to be here in Antarctica, and I can't wait to come back next season - I have already signed up.
