The early-risers on National Geographic Explorer were rewarded with an atmospheric view of the Errera Channel this morning. Sailing through just before breakfast, our guests were greeted with snow-capped mountains looming out of the mist and the light from the early morning sun peeking through the clouds. After enjoying this small moment of calm there was just time for breakfast before we began our action-packed day.
Our first landing of the day was at Neko Harbour, a breathtaking bay named for a whale factory ship which had operated there in the 1900s, but which is now known for its spectacular glacier. Our intrepid Zodiacs picked their way through brash ice to the shore where they were met by a welcoming committee of gentoo penguins from the nearby colony. Situated further south than the colonies we have previously visited, these penguins were still patiently waiting for their eggs to hatch and were guarding them from a pair of circling skuas. With the glacier as their backdrop, our guests took to the snowy slopes surrounding the bay and hiked to a spectacular viewpoint where they could listen for the telltale cracks and creaks that precede a glacier calving. There wasn’t long to wait before the jumbled and precariously-balanced glacier front obliged and a small section of the face gaveway. Ice spilled down into the sea with a crash and the brash ice that coated the surface of the bay was briefly disturbed as waves spread out from base of the glacier. Only guests who were very quick on the draw managed to capture this spectacular moment on camera!
Our adventures at Neko Harbour didn’t stop there, however, as many of our guests also took the sea in kayaks. Making way under their own steam they explored the bay and, threading between small pieces of brash ice, many encountered porpoising gentoo penguins on urgent journeys back to the colony or out to sea to feed.
From Neko Harbour, it was onward to Skontorp Cove where our guests explored with a Zodiac cruise. Patches of orange lichens decorated a rock face in the cove, providing a brightly colored backdrop for the nesting blue-eyed shags, Cape petrels, and Antarctic terns, which glided past only a few feet from our Zodiacs. Towering icebergs that had been molded and shaped by the sea until they resembled carefully carved sculptures were scattered throughout the bay. Picking our way carefully among them, we made our way around to an old Argentinian Antarctic base that is perched on a rocky outcrop. It looked small against the towering glaciers that flanked it and our guests contemplated the challenges of spending the winter in such an isolated place. Not far from the base, a Weddell seal stretched lazily on the shoreline, occasionally lifting its head to contemplate some strange orange penguins on black ice floes, drifting past in the distance!
Back aboard our guests enjoyed a delicious dinner before National Geographic Explorer continued south, gliding through the stunning Lemaire Channel. With not a breath of wind, our guests were met with glassy seas and perfect reflections of the mountains that loom over the channel. Crowded onto the bow, they captured mirror images of snowcapped peaks and enjoyed the stillness of Antarctica. The end of another beautiful day down in the ice.
