Erebus and Terror Gulf
Today, as we sailed in the Weddell Sea, we met extremes: both the volume of ice and the number of penguins surpassed everything we have seen so far.
We began the day at Paulet Island in Erebus and Terror Gulf. Paulet is home to some hundred thousand pairs of Adélie penguins. These penguins are not quiet or shy; their calls echoed throughout the colony and busy commuters – heading to sea to find food or returning home to feed chicks – passed us in droves on the beach. The chicks are already two to three weeks old and are so fat they are spilling out of the nests. We also visited the remains of a hut used by Captain Carl Anton Larsen and other members of the 1901 Swedish Antarctic Expedition whose ship was crushed in the sea ice. These men built a small hut out of rocks and spent the winter there before reuniting with the rest of their party and being rescued.
As we sailed away from Paulet Island, we moved into fields of vast tabular icebergs. These enormous rectangular pieces of ice have broken off of the Larsen Ice Shelf, a glacial sheet that extends far into the Weddell Sea. Most of these icebergs far exceed the size of our ship, and some may go on for miles. A burst of afternoon sunshine helped us see the fine textures of these icebergs as Captain Skog navigated the ship for close-up views.
Our last stop was the Danger Islands. There is little question about why the name Danger was given to these islands: they are small and difficult to see among the large icebergs, they lie in mostly uncharted waters, and a strong current can quickly land ships in trouble. However, as our streak of weather fortune continued, we were able to directly approach a small island few visitors ever see: Heroina Island.
Heroina is packed inch to inch with Adélie penguins, making Paulet seem a relatively small colony. We marveled at this sea of penguins from zodiacs, explored icebergs grounded in a small cove, found Weddell seals and Leopard Seals on the ice, and tried to catch pictures of the penguins porpoising around our boats. The drama of all these penguins and the ice was a spectacular end to our trip around the Antarctic Peninsula.
Today, as we sailed in the Weddell Sea, we met extremes: both the volume of ice and the number of penguins surpassed everything we have seen so far.
We began the day at Paulet Island in Erebus and Terror Gulf. Paulet is home to some hundred thousand pairs of Adélie penguins. These penguins are not quiet or shy; their calls echoed throughout the colony and busy commuters – heading to sea to find food or returning home to feed chicks – passed us in droves on the beach. The chicks are already two to three weeks old and are so fat they are spilling out of the nests. We also visited the remains of a hut used by Captain Carl Anton Larsen and other members of the 1901 Swedish Antarctic Expedition whose ship was crushed in the sea ice. These men built a small hut out of rocks and spent the winter there before reuniting with the rest of their party and being rescued.
As we sailed away from Paulet Island, we moved into fields of vast tabular icebergs. These enormous rectangular pieces of ice have broken off of the Larsen Ice Shelf, a glacial sheet that extends far into the Weddell Sea. Most of these icebergs far exceed the size of our ship, and some may go on for miles. A burst of afternoon sunshine helped us see the fine textures of these icebergs as Captain Skog navigated the ship for close-up views.
Our last stop was the Danger Islands. There is little question about why the name Danger was given to these islands: they are small and difficult to see among the large icebergs, they lie in mostly uncharted waters, and a strong current can quickly land ships in trouble. However, as our streak of weather fortune continued, we were able to directly approach a small island few visitors ever see: Heroina Island.
Heroina is packed inch to inch with Adélie penguins, making Paulet seem a relatively small colony. We marveled at this sea of penguins from zodiacs, explored icebergs grounded in a small cove, found Weddell seals and Leopard Seals on the ice, and tried to catch pictures of the penguins porpoising around our boats. The drama of all these penguins and the ice was a spectacular end to our trip around the Antarctic Peninsula.
