Our group woke this morning to the icebergs of Neko Harbour, named after the whaling factory ship Neko, which operated along the Antarctic Peninsula in the early 20th century. Sea and wind conditions of the day were relaxed and inviting, shielded by the giant peaks surrounding the harbour. A colony of gentoo penguins standing directly in front of an impressive tidewater glacier made for an impressionable scene.
Most guests hiked a near half-mile up a very steep snow bank to a rocky viewpoint displaying the quintessential Antarctic expanse. There were several young gentoo chicks observed out from under the protection of guardians, and many more were concealed within the nests they occupied.
Back aboard the ship, lunch was disrupted to the astonishment of guests facing the port window when a humpback fully breached beside the ship. During our afternoon cruise south towards the Antarctic Circle, we were again blessed by more breaching humpbacks, only this time nearly everyone was able to catch the spectacular performance.
