There is no day in Antarctica without spectacle. To be in the presence of such remote and wondrous beauty is a rarity that is becoming harder and harder to achieve on our planet. Aboard the National Geographic Orion our day began with a group of humpback whales lunge feeding off the bow before breakfast could even commence. Soon after the guests set to shore on Cuverville Island to view the chaos and parenting that takes place within a Gentoo penguin colony. Amidst the rock stealing, chick feeding, and predatory birds circling opportunistically above—our guests steadying their cameras—the most tedious task was simply choosing a subject to film amongst the melee of options.
Continuing on to Neko Harbour in the afternoon, our guests hiked up the mountainside to gain views of the iceberg-riddled bay. Immediately greeted by a lounging Weddell seal upon the beach, and of course more penguins, the photographic opportunities continued to astound. Leaving shore, we heading off into Zodiacs to cruise between a veritable museum of ice which provided a landfall of interactions with marine wildlife. With porpoising penguins all about, minke and humpback Whale encounters, and even a leopard seal hauled out upon an iceberg, the entirety of the experience could not be outdone. Just another day at the bottom of the world, a place where every corner turned presents a chance for new and vibrant experiences.
