National Geographic Endurance made its way steadily south and west today, into the Bellingshausen Sea. It was clearly apparent that we were crossing the continental shelf-edge of the Antarctic continent at 1400 today, as we encountered a sudden abundance of marine life: humpback whales, squadrons of light-mantled albatross, southern fulmars, a flock of rarely seen Antarctic petrels and many more species of seabirds. This evening we are approaching the Antarctic Circle in following winds and seas, with chunky snowflakes keeping pace with us on the cold breeze.