The Drake Passage has optimal conditions during our entire transit, enabling National Geographic Orion to cross the six hundred plus miles in record time. We find ourselves approaching the South Shetland Islands shortly after breakfast. The Aitcho Islands, first charted for the Admiralty Hydrographic Office (H. O.), are a small group which includes Barrientos Island, within the South Shetlands.
Expedition Leader Peter Carey prepares us for our first Antarctic landing with his program detailing the protocol for visits ashore to have zero impact on the wildlife and scenery. This includes a “decontamination” session, to make sure we and our gear do not unwittingly transport nonnative species.
Dressed for the weather, we board Zodiacs and head to land, to be greeted by chinstrap and Gentoo penguins which go about their daily routines as though we were not there. The penguins, along with a variety of other sea birds, are ashore to breed during the short Antarctic summer, and they are all business. Fritter away the time and winter sets in before your chicks are ready to leave the nest. Skuas, giant petrels, kelp gulls, shags, snowy sheathbills, and Antarctic terns help make up the diverse local population. Birds are not the only critters ashore. Six southern elephant seals, the largest of all seal species, are hauled out on a beach a short stroll from our landing site.
Once back to the comfort of on board life, we enter Bransfield Strait, heading for Antarctic Sound, an especially scenic area. Killer whales are spotted. They appear and soon they disappear. However, they lead us to a large iceberg with Adelie, Gentoo, and chinstrap penguins plus a handful of Antarctic terns, all resting on the ice. Our bridge officers take us in for a VERY close look. Our photo count is rising at a very fast rate!
Captain’s Welcome Aboard Cocktail Party is a festive affair, made even more so by the spectacular variety and abundance of tabular icebergs that we pass by. We are in Antarctic Sound, an area well known for icebergs that ride the currents out of the Weddell Sea. The stunning scenery continues through dinner and beyond.
