There are few places on the planet as spectacular as the Weddell Sea. Visiting this part of Antarctica is often synonymous with little sleep. Our adventures here began late last night, when we were lucky to spot a group of Type B killer whales. Their exhales were audible in the calm waters and the sky slowly turned red as the sun set behind tabular icebergs on the horizon. It wasn’t long before we were woken up by the sounds of the National Geographic Endurance navigating through sea ice early in the morning. All eyes were on the lookout enjoying the scenery as we made our way towards Snow Hill Island. Parking into the fast ice, we had the perfect setting for Naturalist Carl Erik Kilander to tell the story of Ernest Shackleton and the original Endurance. We rugged up to spend the morning in the sunshine walking on the fast ice, enjoying amazing views of the ship, toasting with champagne, and the company of curious Adelie penguins and snoozing crabeater seals. To make the day even more perfect, we were treated to an awesome burger-day BBQ lunch – a luxury Shackleton and his crew certainly never experienced while in this location – just before spotting an Emperor penguin on an ice floe. As we cruised north out of the Weddell Sea and Antarctic Sound in the evening we enjoyed our last views of tabular icebergs and the Antarctic continent, ready to continue on our journey in the Southern Ocean.
12/9/2021
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National Geographic Explorer
At Sea from the Falklands to Argentina
On this busy day at sea, we are busy packing, attending interesting talks, getting important information about disembarkation, and having wonderful meals. At teatime, there are Swedish pancakes, berries, chocolate, ice cream, whipped cream and more! Soon, it’s time to dress up for the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party, where we reflect on our amazing experiences over the past twenty days. There was the Drake Passage, Antarctica, South Orkney Islands, South Georgia Island, and the Falkland Islands. So much history and wildlife. At dinner, oh my gosh, give me everything, especially the soup made from wild Falkland celery! The sea is calm, and the sun has come out as we head to Ushuaia, where our journey began. Yes, we are more than what we were before. We have grown and what a pleasure it is.
