Fish Islands & the Antarctic Circle
Location: 66 33 S, 67 08 W 21:20 hrs.
We started the day with thick fog, but as we entered the Lemaire Channel it lifted a bit and we were rewarded with fantastic views of this magnificent passage. High mountains with thick glaciers made for a stunning background, and the numerous blue icebergs provided a perfect foreground. A relaxing morning was spent heading south towards our afternoon’s destination, while we admired the passing scenery and large icebergs.
After lunch, we entered a small bay along the Antarctic Peninsula, and dropped the Zodiacs to explore a group of small islands called the Fish Islands. A large wall of ice was our backdrop as we wove around some small rocks covered with nesting Adelie penguins and Antarctic Shags. The scientists from Oceanites went ashore on 10 separate small islands, counted 1700 Adelie penguin chicks, and correlated with an earlier nest count, to come up with a productive 1.49 chicks per pair. But, the highlight for many of us was a curious leopard seal. Leopard seals have a fierce reputation, and we treated this one with respect. It repeatedly swam under our Zodiacs and appeared to be as interested in us, as we were of it.
After dinner, we reached a nearly mythical spot. The GPS was watched closely as we approached that magic number of 66 33 that marked that we had crossed the Antarctic Circle. Just as we were nearing the "line", we passed a large iceberg that calved huge chunks, creating a bit of excitement other than just a number on a computer. Warm drinks were had by all and many photos were taken to round out another wonderful day here in Antarctica.
Location: 66 33 S, 67 08 W 21:20 hrs.
We started the day with thick fog, but as we entered the Lemaire Channel it lifted a bit and we were rewarded with fantastic views of this magnificent passage. High mountains with thick glaciers made for a stunning background, and the numerous blue icebergs provided a perfect foreground. A relaxing morning was spent heading south towards our afternoon’s destination, while we admired the passing scenery and large icebergs.
After lunch, we entered a small bay along the Antarctic Peninsula, and dropped the Zodiacs to explore a group of small islands called the Fish Islands. A large wall of ice was our backdrop as we wove around some small rocks covered with nesting Adelie penguins and Antarctic Shags. The scientists from Oceanites went ashore on 10 separate small islands, counted 1700 Adelie penguin chicks, and correlated with an earlier nest count, to come up with a productive 1.49 chicks per pair. But, the highlight for many of us was a curious leopard seal. Leopard seals have a fierce reputation, and we treated this one with respect. It repeatedly swam under our Zodiacs and appeared to be as interested in us, as we were of it.
After dinner, we reached a nearly mythical spot. The GPS was watched closely as we approached that magic number of 66 33 that marked that we had crossed the Antarctic Circle. Just as we were nearing the "line", we passed a large iceberg that calved huge chunks, creating a bit of excitement other than just a number on a computer. Warm drinks were had by all and many photos were taken to round out another wonderful day here in Antarctica.
