Gerlache Strait & Palmer Station
The one dynamic that separates a cruise from an expedition is that you never know what the day will bring. Morning began with the most dramatic of landscapes all about the ship as we sailed south through the Gerlache Strait. The low early light drew our eyes to the mountain tops, thousands of feet above the sea. Snowfields and glaciers alternated with bare and rugged rock. Icebergs of all sizes dotted the surface about our ship. Our eyes and our cameras were concentrating on the landscapes when the first blows were seen. Now practiced in identification, we soon confirmed that these whales were humpbacks. In these flat, calm conditions the identifying features were evident. The ship slowed and we spent a goodly bit of time watching and photographing two individuals as they made shallow dives to feed and then blew at the surface. They went about their business of feeding with no care to our close proximity.
This set the stage for Boyd's mid-morning presentation which highlighted National Geographic's work in deploying the Crittercam on humpback whales. Attached to the whale by nothing more than a suction cup, the camera captures fabulous footage of the underwater activities of the animal. We were able to see a calf suckling its mother's milk and the dynamics of the humpback whales' bubble net feeding strategy.
During lunch we anchored at Palmer Station, one of the three United States research facilities in Antarctica. Following an introduction to the station, we were able to tour the site and get a behind-the-scenes look at the scientific work that goes on here. Even though there was a considerable amount of brash ice in the bay, we launched our kayaks and enjoyed the solitude of the afternoon with little sound beyond the dip of the paddle in the water and the 'shush' of ice along the sides of the kayaks.
The highlight of the day may have been the unexpected arrival of seals hauled out on the floes in the bay. We were able to get our Zodiacs in relatively close to both crabeater and leopard seals. They seemed uninterested in the boats and we were able to get wonderful photos of both species at close range. Tonight finds us quietly at anchor in Arthur Harbour.
The one dynamic that separates a cruise from an expedition is that you never know what the day will bring. Morning began with the most dramatic of landscapes all about the ship as we sailed south through the Gerlache Strait. The low early light drew our eyes to the mountain tops, thousands of feet above the sea. Snowfields and glaciers alternated with bare and rugged rock. Icebergs of all sizes dotted the surface about our ship. Our eyes and our cameras were concentrating on the landscapes when the first blows were seen. Now practiced in identification, we soon confirmed that these whales were humpbacks. In these flat, calm conditions the identifying features were evident. The ship slowed and we spent a goodly bit of time watching and photographing two individuals as they made shallow dives to feed and then blew at the surface. They went about their business of feeding with no care to our close proximity.
This set the stage for Boyd's mid-morning presentation which highlighted National Geographic's work in deploying the Crittercam on humpback whales. Attached to the whale by nothing more than a suction cup, the camera captures fabulous footage of the underwater activities of the animal. We were able to see a calf suckling its mother's milk and the dynamics of the humpback whales' bubble net feeding strategy.
During lunch we anchored at Palmer Station, one of the three United States research facilities in Antarctica. Following an introduction to the station, we were able to tour the site and get a behind-the-scenes look at the scientific work that goes on here. Even though there was a considerable amount of brash ice in the bay, we launched our kayaks and enjoyed the solitude of the afternoon with little sound beyond the dip of the paddle in the water and the 'shush' of ice along the sides of the kayaks.
The highlight of the day may have been the unexpected arrival of seals hauled out on the floes in the bay. We were able to get our Zodiacs in relatively close to both crabeater and leopard seals. They seemed uninterested in the boats and we were able to get wonderful photos of both species at close range. Tonight finds us quietly at anchor in Arthur Harbour.
