We awoke to the sounds of the scrunching, scraping, and crashing of ice. This raucous invitation to the Antarctic world was followed by a gentle stillness on this warm morning as our ship came to a stop in the fast ice of Wilhelmina Bay.
This is ice that is formed over the darker, colder winter months when the ocean itself freezes in a thick sheet that is “held fast” to the shore. We disembarked the ship for a hike (and for some, a run) on this ice that extended shoreward from our ship toward magnificent glaciers and mountains
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| Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in the Fast Ice |
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| A Seal Rests on the Fast Ice |
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| Going for a Run on the Fast Ice |
Back on the ship for lunch, a lively pod of Humpback Whales was spotted taking full advantage of the abundance of krill in the bay. These whales consume as much of them as possible during the Antarctic summer before they migrate back to the warmer waters closer to the equator.
Early in the afternoon, excitement (and trepidation) accompanied a polar plunge into the sub-zero waters of Antarctica. Being sea water, it was able to reach a beyond brisk -1 degrees Celsius or 29 degrees Fahrenheit and is almost as cold as water can get in its liquid state. For many, this event was followed by an immediate sprint to the sauna.
Last for the day was beautiful Curverville Island, home to one of the largest colonies of Gentoo Penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula. Penguins were observed bathing, walking on networked “highways”, and keeping eggs warm and protected from the hovering Brown Skuas.
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| Gentoo Penguin |
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| Brown Skuas |
Cuverville Island contained the only two plant species found in Antarctica. I photographed a group of penguins on a steep, green cliff—a color that is quite rare here.
Shortly before our departure, two Adelie Penguins were spotted amidst the Gentoos; this made four different penguin species sited so far!
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| Adelie Penguin in Front. Gentoo Penguin in Back. |
