Saturday, December 24 (Iceberg Alley & Brown Bluff)
Here it was Christmas Eve and the adventure just would not stop! We had another unexpected wake-up call at 6 a.m. For over two hours, we observed and photographed a “super pod” of Type B Killer Whales (small in size) not far from the ship. These whales, from the dolphin family, are very intelligent and inquisitive. The raced with the bow of the ship and often would change directions to get a better a view of us.
Some staff members set out on a Zodiac boat to capture underwater video footage and an audio recording of the sounds remitted by the orcas. Almost immediately after coming to a stop in the ocean, the Killer Whales neared the Zodiac for a closer look. It appeared as if these mammals were as curious of us as we were of them. Finally, the orcas left us to continue toward the Antarctic Sound. I could not have asked for a better Christmas present.
With snow flurries descending from the skies, we made our way to Iceberg Alley. Here, we were among gigantic icebergs that reflected florescent blues in the cracks and in the water. With mountains of ice towering over us, I felt powerless. The large tabular icebergs have reigned the Antarctic seas year after year and is only right that they continue to do so in the future.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Brown Bluff for a Zodiac cruise and landing. Brown Bluff was our first continental landing. Brown Bluff is one of the very few locations that you can get ashore on the Antarctic Peninsula from the Weddell Sea side. The landscape was spectacular. Formed in the past 10 million years, Brown Bluff is a combination of glaciers, ice caps, and a rocky beach that meets a towering rust-colored cliff of volcanic rock. At Brown Bluff we witnessed an enormous Adelie Penguin colony—approximately 20,000 pairs!
Brown Bluff
While we maneuvered through loose sea ice toward shore, I spotted a Snow Petrel (one of the rarest birds in the world to see).
Snow Petrel
On land, we hiked on an actual glacier that has lasted for thousands of years. Shortly after our decent from atop the glacier, I was almost immediately surrounded by Adelie Penguins. The penguins seemed to be having a wonderful time tobogganing to shore, bathing in the water, jumping from one piece of sea ice to the next.
Some penguins were not quite as active. For some, they had to protect their chicks. I was in awe while observing a parent penguin feeding its recently hatched chick. The chick was obviously enjoying its meals because it did not take long for it to begin pecking its parent’s bill for a second helping.
Gentoo Penguin with Chick at Brown Bluff
Seeing a newly born penguin for the first time was a joyous sight, especially on Christmas Eve. The holidays keep us mindful of our many blessings. Watching penguins tend to their chicks was a perfect illustration of life’s greatest gifts: love and family. The end to this perfect Christmas Eve was a perfect dinner. We helped ourselves to a traditional Swedish buffet. The custom in Sweden, among most European countries, is to have a big Christmas celebration on the 24th of December. I happily accepted this tradition and thoroughly enjoyed participating in all the merrymaking.
