The Weddell Sea
Our spectacular day in the Weddell Sea began quite early this morning. We entered the Antarctic Sound between 0400 and 0500 and were immediately treated to enormous tabular icebergs floating on all sides of the ship. Watching our Bridge team navigate through the ice was almost as impressive as the cerulean bergs, themselves.
Tabular icebergs are formed by the breakup of ice sheets—immense areas of glacial ice which expand and cover portions of the sea. These table-shaped, floating colossi are some of the most impressive features of the Southern Ocean and specifically, the Weddell Sea.
Adélie penguins, Weddell seals, blue-eyed shags, and snow petrels were amongst the species identified by the eagle eyes on the Bridge throughout the day. We crashed through floating sea ice and marveled at the spectacular conditions out on the deck: blue, clear skies and calm winds! As our ship’s bow split floe after floe, brownish-orange diatoms rose to the surface of the water at the margins of the ice.
The two highlights of the day, undisputedly, were the near sightings of a very vocal emperor penguin and a lounging leopard seal. Our Captain and Bridge officers brought the ship right up to the edge of each animal’s resting spot and we quietly marveled at creatures many of us had only previously dreamed of seeing.
In the late afternoon, we decided to take advantage of the incredible conditions by deploying the Zodiac fleet for ice tours. Our small boats went in a variety of directions to get a closer view of frozen sea ice, blue glacial ice, and again the impressive tabular bergs dominating the horizon.
As we steamed north once again in the evening, we entered the Antarctic Sound or “Iceberg Alley”, in beautiful twilight. The Weddell Sea was a highlight of our expedition and many of us, exhausted by the passing sites and never-ending daylight, will never forget being surrounded by so much ice on our hardy ship.
