Devil Island & the Weddell Sea
Beautiful: adj. the word most frequently heard when describing January the second in the Weddell Sea.
Kayaking among ice in flat calm seas, full sunshine and warm temperatures. This activity received the adjective described above. Hiking up to the highest peak of Devil Island. Beautiful. Watching from the deck as the ship cruised into Antarctic Sound. Beautiful. An iceberg with an enormous archway. Beautiful. The bright blue sky. Beautiful.
The morning spent at Devil Island will always be remembered as an exceptional one. After all, this was the first penguin colony of the trip. Thousands of Adelie penguins nest here in a colony on the Northern side of the island. Devil Island was named by Otto Nordenskjöld’s expedition in 1902. Just across the bay from where kayakers were happily paddling around is Cape Well-met. This cape is where Nordenskjöld’s broken up party met serendipitously after overwintering in several smaller groups. Hikers walked around the colony, reveling in the large numbers of penguins found together here. The apex of the hike afforded views of the kayakers enjoying the bay below. The kayaks looked like small yellow slivers floating among the white blocks of ice. Clear waters made the view from the hike and the kayak very interesting, and the word of the day, beautiful.
The afternoon cruising through the last of tabular icebergs before leaving the Weddell Sea was quietly enjoyed by all. The day seemed so special and exceptional that everyone seemed to find a quiet place all to their own and attempt to soak up the Antarctic atmosphere.
Today was definitely the day to enjoy Antarctica. It is at its best on a clear sunny day. We were all reminded of this when we lifted our heads, looked about us and said “Beautiful.”
